musings & mumblings

Reverie

2006-10-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

I made a third attempt recently to write a long post, yet failed to attain completion. So instead of giving up, I shall instead post something that I wrote the other day in the Study Hall while, well, not studying for a physics test. My result will testify to the same.

____

There goes my wandering mind
in search of a dream it may never find
In the vast expanse of clouds and sky
And all that ever meets the eye
Lost in a reverie unkind
Free from bondage, ties that bind
Endless roads and milestones none
No undoing deeds once done
Sweet temptations, no restraint
Endless freedom, no constraint
Seems to me an enless maze
Is this but a fleeting phase?

So There. (Warning => Horrid Entry)

2006-04-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

I return. And one would think that, posting after all these years (as it seems to me), I'd have lots to talk about.

Well, I don't.

So There.

Well, actually I do, but time and tide have rendered me lazy. I feel drained off (or is it of?) the energy to speak elaborately (*coughexaggeratedlycough*) about the miserable existance that I have led, these past few months. I feel far too lethargic to talk in length of how, on the day of my last board exam having had a hearty meal of Pastas, Tacos, a sizzler and what not (at Cafe Morrison, South Ex ==> Great Food), after having seen off my comrades, wondering if I'd ever see them again (alright alright! Maybe I shouldn't take it that far), as I wandered in Planet M among the neglected shelves that no one really visited, and as I glanced upon the dust-covered CD's of the artists of yesteryear, now old and forgotten, I thought of how time was passing and how I (and all those around me) was growing older and greyer by the day. And then I thought of how inappropriate a thought it was for a freshly turned 18-year old (belated happy birthday to me).
And as I pondered, I glanced at my watch as I have done many times before in music shops all over the town while I wait for my mother to pick me up. As always, she was eons late.
Some things never change.
Habits, particularly bad ones, never grow old.

I believe that should do for today. I am, afterall, trying to revive a hobby that has been neglected for months. Clearly, I'm a little rough around the edges (and around the middle and everywhere possible.)
Do bear with me.

So there.

Coming Soon....

2006-01-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

An update, what else.

Bogged down by Foreign Applications and pre-board examinations, I have been unable to share my thoughts with you all (one or two, don't know how many exactly)

Not to worry. Pre-boards finish in a week avec practicals and I shall rise from my ashes and post again.

Yes, yes, not about Model UN.

Au revoir mes amies.

Gloom.

2005-11-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

The wait seemed to last forever.
The beautiful dream lasted 3 seconds, one per day.
Was the wait worth it?
Yes.
And No.
Would I ever have to wait again?
No.
DPSMUN 2005 has ended.
For me, MUN has ended.
Goodbye to this beautiful dream.
Goodbye to a part of me.
May someone else live you and love you..
And cheerish you while they can.
Goodbye to you, Model UN.

Time goes by.... so Ssssslllllooooowwwwwllllyyyyyyy........

2005-11-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

Two days presently seperate me from DPSMUN 2005.. And boy are these two days slow.. The clock seems to be running on a slow battery.. The sundial appears to have a shadow painted on it.. The Grandfather's Clock seems to be following the rythm of grandfather's footsteps.... Tick.... tock.......... Tick.....tock.......
Is the world moving in slow motion? Or is my mind racing ahead?
Why is the wait so long, for three days that shall elapse in three seconds?
I wonder.

It came.... and it went....

2005-11-14T23:21:00.000-08:00

Children's Day Carnival 2005, was by far the best that I have ever experienced. Which is rather odd since there was nothing different about it than any of the previous years' carnivals, barring last (which was downright worse than any other of its predecessors and successor).

This was inspite of the fact that the DJ was nowhere up to the mark, which is once again no different than any other year since the DJ himself has been a regular since the tradition began 5 years ago.
Then what was it that made the carnival such a success? Was it the fact that there were fewer food stalls and a duller menu? Or was it simply that this carnival was our last and that we had to make the most of it?
Friends (who attended) were fewer, others were newer.. Nonetheless, most of the ones that mattered were there, and we successfully managed to have the time of our lives..

Tomorrow, we might find ourselves treading on different paths.. walking down different avenues.... with different goals, different ambitions.. different destinations..
But we shall carry with us, these moments of joy.... and a feeling of infinite peace and happiness in the memories of our past..

Vivid recollections..

2005-11-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's just any other day in the first standard. I'm all of six years old, shy, timid and innocent. Living a life that lacks purpose and direction. But then, not many six year-olds seem to have some direction.
Word has been taking rounds in the class that one of the students of the section engages in theft. Their words seem rather harsh to me, those gossip-mongers. Naturally, theft couldn't mean anything beyond pencils, erasers and sharpener, but that alone is everything to a first grader.... A silver coloured pencil.... a strawberry-scented eraser.... Every time a pencil goes missing, all eyes fall on that boy. I can't say if he has been confronted. I am aware though that he is in somewhat of a coventry.

I'm seated with a friend, my then best-friend, in between two periods. There is no teacher in the class. People are mingling with themselves.
We're in the midde of a conversation, she in readying up for the next class that my friend gets up and excuses herself to exchange a word with someone else. Meanwhile, I turn around to chat with another word but few words are exchanged between him and me when I turn around instinctively. The chair besides me is still empty. She is still talking to a friend. The contents of her pencil-box are half laid out on the table with a pencil lying at the center of her desk.
As I turn around, I observe a boy standing silently next to her desk. He looks around cautiously and extends his hand towards the pencil, lying neatly at the center of the desk. I turn my head back just as his fingers are closing around the pencil.... someone else's pencil. He, the culprit, is the very person whom the entire class has been whispering about. Here, before my very own eyes, stealing a friend's pencil.
He notices that I have turned around. His grip on the pencil does not loosen immediately. Our eyes meet. His show no sign of guilt. On the contrary, he gives me a spiteful glare.. A threatening glare. I do not know what it means.. How can he show no signs of embarrassment? No remorse at being caught red handed?
Nobody else seems to have noticed anything. He gives me another glare, his eyes narrowing down to two slits fuming with anger. Anger at being caught? Anger at having failed in his attempts? His grip loosens. He withdraws his hand, and walks away without uttering a word.
Naive and innocent to the evil that exists in the world, I am still in disbelief. Soon, all is forgotten. I mention it to no one. I hope that he will stop. I don't know if he does. Possibly, somewhere else that day, in that classroom of 40, another pencil is stolen.

Of God Of Small Things.... and other things....

2005-11-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hard as it is to believe for me, I have (nearly) completed one of the goals that I had set for my post-examination break. I have (almost) read to completion, "The God Of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. I'm torn between worshipping the author for telling a tale so beautifully, and resenting her for bringing to life a story so melancholic.. so terribly depressing.. and yet told so beautifully..
I stress on the fact that I am almost through the book because I cannot say if I will be able to complete it. A story, that from the very beginning was foreboding and warned the reader of bitter things to come, is finally approaching the stage which I never expected I would have to face. The bitter conclusion to the story, and not quite the conclusion but infact the very core that connected the epilogue to the prologue yet was related at the very end, was so well concealed by euphemism in expression that the gravity of events that took place in just that one day and bore defining consequences on what was to follow was unforseen.. Deaths that earlier seemed bizzare became consequential.. Phenomena that earlier appeared natural became fabricated by the deeds of two..
I cannot deliver my final word on this work until I have finished it.. Nor can I deliver a final word on when that will happen..

Magical Chain Letter!

2005-11-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

I believe this is the only chain letter I have created till this date.. It was written at a time when I was feeling tormented by having received cheesy lame chain letters that made me want to pull my hair off my scalp and threatened me with pre-mature baldness.
So here goes..

________________

this is a very special chain letter.
It does magic.
And if you fail to comply with its terms, you shall score less than 60% in your mid-terms.

But if you do manage to comply, then you will score an 80% plus.

Wait and watch the Magic....

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

****
^^^^

Poof!
The Magic is done!!

Now send this chain letter to 25 people or else, you will score less than 60% in your mid-terms.

Also, if AOL sees that this message has not reached 5 million people by the end of the month, it will stop funding the surgical removal of one of the excess genitals of a transvestite baby.

ALSO! If this message has not been read by all the children in India under five years of age, your numerous girlfriends/boyfriends will break up with you on New Year's Eve(Yeah yeah! They are two timing as well, so there!)

So Don't hesitate! Keep sending!

But don't send it to the author of this magical magical chain letter, else a tornado will strike right outside your house and blow away all your underwear!!

Hurry!!!!

The Comedy of Ironies.

2005-10-30T01:50:00.000-08:00

We're talking about over a year ago. It was just another day. Any other day. Any other endlessly boring day. I, a science student in a super-ability class. I, a thoroughly bored science student in a thoroughly boring class.
I had endured much boredom that day. It's hard to say how much exactly but possibly a few periods of physics, a few of chemistry and maybe one of mathematics. English and computers I have never found to this day to be boring.
There was another thoroughly bored science student, quite like me, who had also endured almost the same amount of boredom that day. She couldn't tolerate it. Neither could I. The remaining 52 seemed to be quite happy. Either that, or they wouldn't let their deepest feelings of frustration surface to the top of their head. They wouldn't act on it.

It was time for another Math class. I now recall that this math class was sometime around when the olympics were taking place since one of my class-mates had earlier commented that at the pace she "taught" mathematics, she ought to have been representing our country at the olympics, as our only shot at a gold medal. He meant that she taught very speedily. He was right, for she did. If at all one was distracted for even a moment in her class, that person would have to ask his/her partner how many exercises they had finshed in that moment.

Having given you an idea of what our math class was like, I shall proceed with the events of the long boring day.

My friend and I were debating as to whether we should have ourselves exempted from that class. Without anyone but our own's consent, ofcourse. In other words, we were wondering whether we should skip that class. We kept on debating, and the little time that we had before boredom arrived elapsed. The teacher entered, and walked up tothe front of the class. The door was towards the rear end of the room. We wished her good-morning in a low and mumbling drone, as if predicting the mindset that awaited us.
It then happened in pure spontaneity. She walked in, walked up, received her greetings and began writing on the board. We stood up when she entered (very lazily), waited for her to walk up, mumbled a good-morning and sneaked out of the door while she was writing. We, naturally, comprises only me and my bored friend, for had the entire class tried to sneak out of the door, there would have been nothing short of a small stampede, which complacent as she was, she would have noticed.

Anyways, we sneaked out of the class and chuckled to ourselves. Slowly and silently, we tiptoed past the corridor to the freedom that awaited us. We made our way to the football ground to join fellow-bored students from other classes.

In the meantime, a few hundred yards away in a boring classroom with bored students and a boring teacher, someone entered. It was the Class Rep. who had come to our classroom to inquire a case of "bunking" that had been reported to her during SUPW the previous day. The accused was a friend of mine. A very bored friend of mine. The one who was bunking with me on the football ground the very moment she had been asked for in the classroom.
The truth of the matter is that she had been falsely accused since she had not really bunked that SUPW period. Ironically, she was bunking the period when her fidelity was being questioned.
Our teacher, as I mentioned, was rather complacent and thus did not really question her whereabouts when it was brought to her notice that a student of her class was missing. My absence was, thankfully, not reported and realised by the teachers and students respectively.

Having spent a nice 30 minutes chatting, we made our way back cautiously once the bell had rung. After our absent minded teacher had left, we made our way back to class to learn of what had taken place in our absence. We were thoroughly astounded. Not only had she been accused of something she hadn't done, the accusation had been made while she was doing it.

We spent the next 2-3 periods wondering how to get out of the mess. Eventually, we realised that we would have to confront the rep and make our excuses. I mean, she would have to confront the rep etc. Being partner in the deed that had been done, I accompanied her to the rep's room and waited securely outside while she made an attempt to prove herself innocent of something she hadn't committed yet have herself acquitted for committing it later on.
Yes, she knocked on the door, opened it and stepped inside. As was expected, our rep was present in her room. As was not expected, so was our math teacher.

Curious.

2005-10-28T02:11:00.000-07:00

It has been over half a month since I last posted. Something which truly annoys me. And yet I fail to post.
Let us examine the situation at hand.
Exams were underway, but are officially over w.e.f. yesterday. Ah! would you look at that. My very last Half Yearly Examinations. Never shall I have to appear for measly half-yearly examinations again! Woo-hoo! How did they go, did you ask? Ofcourse you didn't. But I shall share it anyway.
The level was surprisingly easy. That, in no way means that I performed amazingly well. It does in no way imply that I performed even moderately well. How well I performed, the results shall speak.

So what else is up with me? Model UN fever is rising. The conference is a month away but the work load is building up very very slowly. Boy, am I loving it.
Mine being the largest committee shall comprise 99 delegates. Thus, I shall not fail to carry an entire leaf of Combiflam to consume as and when required.
Training sessions are on and I cannot explain how much I enjoy going to an empty school. It seems to have an air of homeliness. At other times, it seems to have an air of Bengali Market.

Is there any humorous anecdote to share? Surely! Is it a very short account? No! Will it take ages to write? Yes! Do I have the energy to type it all out right now? Your guess..
I shall make it a point to share it in the near future for should I make an attempt right now, I would not do it justice.

That leaves me with little to say but since tomorrow is sunday and I'm alone at home, I shall make all efforts to update tomorrow with a detailed description of what one calls "The Comedy of Ironies."

Today, I shall make a second attempt at cracking the code behind "God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. With that, I take thy leave.

Au Revoir.

We meet Again!

2005-10-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

A warm hello to all! It has been very long, I know, and I apologize sincerely for my prolonged absence. Lots has happened since I lastwandered the blogspot way.

I appeared for and ruined my second attempt at the NewSAT, though not due to my own fault entirely. The Critical Reading was terribly hard, let there be no doubt about it.

Today, the 12th of October, we here in North India celebrate Dussera. In accordance with tradition, giant-size effigies of three demons are burnt, to indicate that good always triumphs and evil is vanquished. Today, I spent one hour standing near to one of these effigies that was erected near my home waiting imatiently for it to be burnt to the ground. Eventually it did. It lasted ten seconds. I take pride in the fact that I spent an hour waiting for it to go up in flames which took but ten seconds.
On a brighter note, during my extended wait, my eyes happened to glance at the sky camouflaged by smoke, and I noticed a rather bright light moving at a rather fact pace. It was definitely too bright to be a star and too mobile to qualify as a satellite or a planet. Hence, I assume I witnessed the disappearance of the Chinese Spacecraft. Hooray!

Nothing too exciting seems to be happening. "The Nanny", a program that I got hooked on to a few months ago was discontinued but a Month ago and was restarted very aptly, a week before the commencement of my half-yearly examinations. Aren't I delighted.
In addition, a new reality show by the name of "Ghost Hunters" seems to have grabbed my interests. Thankfully, it is only telecasted once in a week.

Model UN fever seems to be setting in! The conference is but a month and a half away and preparations shall begin in full throttle by the end of this month. I have been graced with the opportunity of chairing a committee but I shall only reveal details upon confirmation. Unfortunately, I am unable to keep my mind from thinking of what is months away when matters of far higher priority torment my mind.

This past Sunday, my father felt a sudden urge, on his 49th birthday, to take a break from "classy Italian" and "authentic Chinese" restraunts to visit his "roots" in order to celebrate the auspicious occasion. Thus, on our way to a vegetarian Italian restaurant (in compliance with the ban on non-vegetarian food in the duration of the "Navratri"), we changed our course (or rather stopped in the middle of it), parked our car near India Gate, hopped onto the Delhi Metro and sped off to Chandni Chowk.
The ride was fabulous! The Delhi Metro is truly a work of art! The stations seem to be much larger than would be required of them. There is no doubt that the underground system is far superior to the overhead line!
Most of Chandni Chowk was closed, the day being a Sunday, which I was thankful for since the crowd was one-fourth of what it normally is. Nonetheless, there were enough people out and about to fill up china.
However dilapidated the place might be, the rickshaw-walas there are thrifty and adept. The many rickshaw-rides that we took (richskaws being the primary medium of commuting from one end of the micro-city to another) were as enjoyable as a rickshaw ride in Mussoorie!

Well, I've spoken a few days worth, thus thou shalt excuse my absence for another two weeks.

Adios!

Right To Freedom of ill-Speech.

2005-10-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Even though I was quite reluctant to have to take time out for blogging (even though I love to do so, time is a constraint) every once in a while, a journalist comes along and makes extreme comments, thoroughly abusing his access to a public forum such as a newspaper, driving me up the wall in the process and forcing me to let the world know what exactly is on my mind.
Indrajit Hazra, one such person who is the subject of my post today, felt he had the authority to print a infuriating article about a music band that he did not like, and brand all those who were not in agreement with his narrow-minded and pathetic point of view as "morons".

Unfortunately, our master moron gets away with it since naturally, not many of us are HT correspondents. I'm curious to know whether the Hindustan Times has, what is popularly designated as and not heresy, an Editor. And if they do, then whether or not that "Editor" knows what his/her job is all about.

Oh but indeed, having branded half a million people as morons doesn't seem to satiate his desire to demean us enough, for he must go ahead and insult an all-time favourite that goes by the name of "Lemon Tree", a track that I have grown up listening to and associate fond memories with.

He claims that MLTR is able only to "dish out utter twaddle" as an "excuse for" rock music. Indeed we must hold tremendous respect for the personage that is Indrajit Hazra, for his exquisite taste in music is revered to such an extent that while MLTR is "dishing out utter twaddle" to millions of fans, our respectable Indrajit Hazra sits at home on his massive rear end churning out "music reviews" that receive pleasing responses such as mine.

Shopping at the local US supermarket in India..

2005-09-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

I confess to being bored thoroughly about the fact that this blog has not been updated in WEEKS! And since I'm partly.. uh.. entirely responsible for that, I must make amends.

The SAT countdown has begun yet again, as has the half-yearly one. Both are of paramount importance to my desirable future. Hence, my mundane life has become rather strenuous, clearly explaining why my weblog has not been updated as regularly as was characteristic of it.

Through random sources, my sister and I discovered a new chain of stores (not very popular yet) by the name of "The Dollar Store" which sells American products in good old India. Though we do not enjoy patronizing any stores but our very own indigenous ones, but we gave into temptation on learning that they sold Oreo cookies. Infact, that composed 80% of our motive of visiting that store, the other 20% being the possibility of buying the very specific brand of mayonnaise that my sister wanted. We ended up purchasing some Oreo cookies (ofcourse), a different brand of mayonnaise (since Kraft was not available) that my sister (*surprise*) ended up resenting, pancake syrup which I do not find to my taste, Hawaiian punch (which reminds me of some particular medicine that I once took and loathed) and 3 cans of American cola, the one thing with which we couldn't go wrong.
Thus, we have with us a large jar of mayonnaise that no one will eat, a large tank of Hawaiian punch that won't cure a sore throat, a bottle of pancake syrup to supplement pancakes which we now realize we do not know how to make, and some Oreo cookies which are on the verge of finishing.
If anyone knows any place where Oreo cookies are available quite cheap (cheaper than RSI/twin pack) in New Delhi, I would be grateful if I were informed of it. We love to buy them in bulk.

As I mentioned before, the SAT countdown is on, and I am scheduled to appear for, in less than two weeks, the Scholastic Aptitude Test for the second time (sad, I know) and I do pray to god that I shall do far better on this attempt than I did previously. The half-yearly exams are to follow soon after and those, too, are vital to my international college applications, in view of my Eleventh Standard Marks.

Food is on the table and I am scheduled to lunch in two minutes from now, thus I take your leave.
Goodbye!

A welcome decision.

2005-09-15T04:41:00.000-07:00

The Recent modifications in the IIT testing pattern and the restrictions imposed on students appearing for its entrance exam are music to my ears.
Even though I feel that the minimum marks required in the Board Examinations should not be 60% but 75% instead, one has to be willing to compromise.
The 60% cut-off should hopefully silence the arrogant snobs found in thronging crowds at FIIT-JEE etc. who sneer at the word NCERT and CBSE. If not, then I sure do hope they burn in h*ll.
As for those who have already appeared for the JEE more than once, I do sympathise with them for all the money that they would have by now wasted on Coaching Institutes etc. but then again, no one but them is to blame for putting all their eggs in one basket, now is there.
Also, that sure does make things a hell lot easier for us. Often one hears that most of the people entering IIT-JEE are those who have dropped a year or two and is appearing for it after rigourous study, making it hard for us first timers.

Lots of stories go around about people who clear the IIT exams. It is said that many have little understanding of the concepts that they are using but manage to solve questions by simply applying every formula that comes to their mind, having mastered it over years. The new pattern, more objective in nature, less numerical-based and more conceptual should focus on filtering the abovementioned stereotype.

On an all, I must say that I'm absolutely delighted with the upgradation of our otherwise mouldy and regressive system and this refreshing change has come in good time.
I do hope that there will be no rollback though!

Update Update!

2005-09-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

I seem to be down with a bout of laziness which prohibits me from finishing what I started. Thus, though I have started writing multiple posts in the recent past, few actually get completed and consequently, published. I asked to be excused on this account, and sincerely hope that I manage to finish this one.

I have absolutely no dearth of ideas or accounts to write about. Repeated attempts to carry forward my MUN experience (Day 1 itself) having failed repeatedly, I shall instead sum it up in a few lines and carry on with other ramblings.
The experience was enthralling. I was in full command of my committee and felt honoured to be in control. Delegate of UK succeeded in convincing over a hundred countries to sign a resolution which was in violation of their foreign policy and thus pats himself on the back for that. Compliments came pouring in from left, right and center.. from teachers, from fellow delegates, from my executive board (chair, vice-chair), from the Secretary General etc. etc. I must say that after a particular stage, I was quite humbled and embarrassed. ("UK, you rock!", "UK, you set the stage on fire!","UK, you're too good man")
I once again humbly apologize for excessive gloating. Fact remains that I don't get the opportunity to gloat too often nowadays, thus I shall reap all the harvest I can from this one.
A rare opportunity I got on more than one (*coughthreecough*) occasion was to be asked to sit on the holy dias itself, which is as out-of-bounds for delegates as the principal's chair is for students. I was taunted about that by envious co-delegates who scorned at my urgency to finish writng resolutions as deadlines drew closer, saying that I could always go up to the dias, sit over there and finish it in comfort. (*lol*) I flushed, not so much in embarrasment as in glee!
The conference ended on a rather unhappy note. Though we managed to bag the "Best Delegation" award(Team Prize - first place) and the "Best Country Profile" award, they gave us only one Best Delegate(individual) prize, secured by me, inspite of all 8 of us being in the top 5 in each of our respective committees. Ryan group of schools have a highly debateable policy in giving away awards since some of our most deserving participants were denied the award inspite of being in the winners' list.

Moving on to other ramblings, having performed pathetically in my first SAT attempt (2030), I am scheduled to appear for the exam once again this october. I pray to heaven my performance is more respectable this time round.
I extend my congratulations to my friend Prerna who has topped her mock LST exam in the NCR region and hope that she'll always remain at the top.

On a happy note, we received our Monday Test reportcards two days ago and I saw for the first time in months, the figure 80 against the word "Aggregate" on my own reportcard. I'm delighted and eager to repeat that performance.
Half Yearlies are but a momth away, and my beloved mother has erected a pad on my bedroom wall with a countdown to the first exam, as a reminder of how little time I have left.
With that, having little time to babble on, I bid thee all goodbye.

Day One, Part I.

2005-09-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable.
Model UN Depression came late this time round, and was much less in terms of its intensity and severity, but it was there. Life seems to be boring and mundane, far worse than ordinary. There seems to be lesser than little to look forward to.
This year, my Model UN experience was quite thrilling as blessed as we were to be called upon to represent a country with a questionable foreign policy, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Honb'le Delegates of United Kingdom were recognized to speak far more often than most others.

My first day I would describe as "Too good to be true." I arrived quite late, courtesy my non-chalant fellow delegates and introduced myself only to a handful of delegates who remained chatting at the back of the (simply grand) committee room (or rather, more of an auditorium.) My conversation with them was rather stimulating (for them) since what I said seem to seep into them and they started listening in awe. Before I knew it, the chair had called the committee to session and I was made to take my seat much before I could gather some allies to fall back on later.
The debate began on an ever-so boring note. Since two of my fellow delegates personally knew my Vice-chair, I noted some bias as I was placed on the speakers' list within seconds of raising my placard. That was confirmed when on raising my placard to ask a delegate a particular question, I was immediately recognized since she happened to notice me. I was delighted. The question I posed somewhat stumped the speaker ("Since the UN has not defined the term "Under-Developed" which was mentioned in your speech, what according to your country is "Under Developed"?") and the somewhat inexperienced (yet brilliant) chair put the icing on the cake by announcing after the baffled speaker had returned, "Delegates, please don't use the term "Under-Developed" since it is not defined by the UN." That was thoroughly unnecessarry since even "Terrorism" is not defined by the UN and is indispensable while debating. (Now surely you didn't know that, did you! Thank Glenda Tesalona for passing on that interesting bit of knowledge.)

The momentum started building up and I was riding on waves. Controversial issues required statements of all P5 members, which the VC was quick to speak, turning the spotlight onto us more than we would have sought. With a bit of tac-tics, I was able to answer what I had backing information for and fabricate answers for those I did not. When asked if UK would veto a resolution on an issue that the UK is averse to, I got away with simply stating that the UK had not used its Veto in the Security Council for much over a decade (fact, not fiction) thereby avoiding having to say "Yes, we probably will" and thereby silencing my critics, impressing the house and at the same time, making it obvious that my research was comprehesive.
The first day was too long to be able to type out in one entry, thus I shall pick up from here some other day.
Goodbye!

Anticipation comes to an end....

2005-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

hours before I realise that the day I was waiting for is but a few hours away and all the work that were to be done before then still awaits completion.

Model UN commences tomorrow..

Off with the head....

2005-08-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

Every time you sit down for a sumptuous meal of fish and curry, have a moment of silence, before you 'dig in', in remembrance of the fish and its absolutely horrifying journey that it has endured before it landed up on your platter.

I speak, all of a sudden, of fish and their journey of life, for I have witnessed today a most horrifying incident at a fish shop on Gole Market. To whomsoever those two words, Gole Market, ring a bell, shall have absolutely no problem in perceiving what exactly I am to write about. Those who fail to qualify in that category shall not have to rack their "brains" for I shall get to the point.

On my way home from a publisher at Connaught Place (who is incidently my father's friend), we decided to pick up something to eat, as we suffer from perpetual hunger. Haviing left sweet shops far behind us before we could come to a conclusion, we decided unto eventuality, to pick up some of Gole Market's famed non-vegetarian.

With that motive at hand, we set out and then in, into a shop that is.
The first impression was rather mild. The smell wasn't too profound, and little was in view.
Five seconds later, I was confronted by the sight of dead fish that lay on sparsely placed crushed ice, in a condition that would made one believe that they were either artificial, or alive.

After selecting one of two recognizable kinds from a rather damaged menu list, we were faced with the horror of having to look at a fine gentleman lift what looked like a very small shark, from god knows where, onto a metallic sharp structure vaguely resembling the arc like dagger possessed by the killer(s) in the Scream triology.
It took him lesser time than what is required to say "Off with the head" to saw off the head of the poor sha..uh..fish and reveal to us its organs drenched in fish-blood, which might I add is not yellow or brown or grey in colour, as I used to think when I was young.

On special request, and on realising that we weren't bengali, the kind gentleman washed thoroughly the chopped body parts of the once a very large and terrifying fish, closely resembling a small shark.

Well, that's all for today folks.
More later.

I am now off to sample our "catch".

G'bye!

Physics : One big assumption

2005-08-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

A person unanimously described as mentally sane and psychologically normal would find it rather odd that a considerable number of "worthy-of-mention" events that occur in my life take place in my physics tuition class. To such people I would kindly respond that I am privileged to be taught by a lady who, in her 40's, is cooler many a 16, 17 and 18 year-olds I am acquainted with.

Today, she was trying to avoid my cries of infuriation when she began to explain how Alternating Currents cannot be considered as Vectors inspite of having the direction-factor (considered a vital possession for every quantity that rubs shoulders with others in that category) for currents are already proved to be scalars and asserting that currents are both scalar and vector in nature would be an assumption gone awry and are hence classified into a third category, but failed to do so as I naturally protested.
Thus, she re-iterated that physics was all an assumption which if proved correct becomes a theory and if proved wrong is thrown into the bin.
To reinforce the essence of her statement, she quoted the story of Newton who had stated that light travelled more slowly in air than in water, which was unanimously accepted by all of Newton's supporters. Later, another scientist whose name I fail to remember argued to the contrary but was shunned by the dominating group that backed Newton's teachings. It was not until later that another scientist, whose name too I cannot recall, proved the inverse of Newton's "assumption", thereby proving the assumption to be wrong.

The moral was that everything that we learn today in physics could very well be proved wrong tomorrow.
To this, I said, amidst laughter, that I hoped that I could return to earth a thousand years later from my ashes with my physics paper and have some of my questions, presently marked incorrect, corrected and receive the marks that are rightfully mine.
To this, she curtly replied that physics could never deteriorate to that extent.
End of story one.. sorry if you didn't find it amusing enough. I did. Infact, I couldn't control my smiles and chuckles (much to her annoyance) for the following ten minutes.

Story Two.
It's rather amusing how my cousin sister, famed for her notoreity, a somewhat spoilt nature and raging temper but a great sense of humour, can conveniently get away with saying, to my 11 year old cousin.... hold on a moment. I cannot state it so blatantly. It requires some background information as well.

We were huddled in the store/mandir(temple) room at my maternal grand-parents' house carrying out a somewhat unconventional rakhi ceremony when my little cousin (aged 11) had consented to do something silly which was asked of him by his little sister. To this, my abovementioned cousin (aged 20) jokingly said, "Agar kal woh tujhe ____ karne ko kahde, to tu kya kar dega?" (Tomorrow if she asks you to ________, will you do it?) where ____ can be aptly replaced by the last three alphabets of the first word of Middlesex university.
This sharp statement was met by laughter from many adults including my cousin brother's mother, my own mother, my mother's eldest sister and all of us.

I doubt that any of us would ever get away with something like that!

A Rare Honour.

2005-08-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my physics tutor honoured my progress in the field by saying that I deserve a Nobel for Mutilating Physics.

The clock is ticking and countdown has begun to Ryan Indian Model UN. In a fortnight, I shall have thrown aside my bag and shall be fixing my suit and boot for the next day.

I have also decided to start a blog exclusively for Model UN, the link to which can be seen on my right.
Pray to god I come up with something to write on it.

Much needed updates..

2005-08-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

The following are the current headlines :-

1) An astonished physics tutor was informed earlier today that Delhi Public School, RK Puram had finally sworn in its school appointments for the academic year 2005-2006 last week on the august morning of the 12th of August, after half the academic session had elapsed. The Investiture Ceremony took place in the presence of Her Honbl. Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms. Sheelam.... uh.... Sheila Dixit. The appointments, dressed in a fine attire of white (and one wheatish) khadi kurta pyjamas bought from various khadi grams (*coughfabindiacough*), marched smartly down one side of the football field as a wonderful army band played on and followed. The march was well co-ordinated (I hope) and the experience was enjoyable. I shall not divulge any of the (very few) embarrassing moments (atleast before I pass out of school) thus please refrain from asking, (not that you do, judging by the number of comments my posts receive!)

2) The DPS Model UN 2005 Conference training session commenced on the very same day and concluded a day before the current. UNA-USA Global Classrooms co-ordinators Glenda Tesalona and Melissa Yahre conducted most of the 3-day program. While Glenda was as merry as ever, Melissa (whom I met much after a year) was the cutest sight, fashioning a recently bought salwaar-kameez to make up for the loss of her luggage with the turbulent services of British Airways. I sincerely hope that she has received it by now.
Within the three day duration of the conference, author of the esteemed blog "musings and mumblings" was complimented by Ms. Yahre on his Chairing skills while more than one visiting Teacher Advisors expressed their approval towards his, and I quote, "pleasing personality".
(*coughshowoffcough* ..... *mumbleiknowmumble*)

3) On his way to "Le Meridian" to receive the two abovementioned personalities, the esteemed author of the above mentioned web log had an intriguing conversation with an employee of his school, the driver of the vehicle, who as it was discovered, was educated to quite an extent, had a lecturer of English as a brother and two children, one studying in the 9th and the other in the 6th standard, both in the same institution as myself. The conversation was very intriguing and engaging, as we discussed the harsh realities of life and the bright future of both his children. Such encounters are common in books more that they are in real life. My heartiest well wishes with the gentleman, whose name I did not ask for the fear of forgetting it before the end of one way of our journey, as often happens with a memory as untrustworthy as mine.

Those were the current updates. Keep tuned for more.

Cold War.

2005-08-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

I seem to be revolting against everyone in sight. Some reason or the other seems to crop up as a bone of contention. If not being on talking terms with once-upon-a-time-my-best-friend isn't bad enough, I seem to find myself in a coventry like situation is school.
To quote a rather lengthy and boring lesson from my english text book titled The Hum Of Insects, the world seems to be full of back-stabbing creatures.
Deteriorating in ruin, betrayal, backbiting and unpleasentness seem to be the flavour of the week.
One finds it rather impossible to imagine the complexities in the life of the average school student, so much so that I cannot but wait till December and free myself from all this misery.
If, ofcourse, the present state of affairs are to continue, I shall have managed to prove the old proverb and I quote, "We enter the world alone, we leave the world alone" to be correct and accurate with the exception of the odd close and still loyal friend.

Times like these, I wish I could return to those good old days just about three years ago, when having entered the nineth standard, we were carefree and harmless. Or for that matter, even this very time a year ago when I enjoyed every minute of the day inspite of being near-to-the-bottom in my "super-ability" class, yet right at the top when it came to having a great time!

Well, what more has one to say when one is in a mood as negative as minus nine to the power of (2n-1) where n is any non negative integer (God Bless Me!)

I shall thus stop writing, hope that tomorrow is a better day and hence shall return with a slightly more upbeat and less-of-a-drone post.

2005-08-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it.
-Maugham

They can because they think they can.

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
-Roosevelt

You have all the reason in the world to achieve your grandest dreams. Imagination plus innovation equals realization.

Things To Blog About When Suffering from Bloggers' Block.

2005-08-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

1. When Nature Struck back (at Bombay)
2. Metro Station contracters who outwitted themselves.

I'll need to reframe the titles ofcourse. I am terrible at giving suitable titles to my blog entries.

The clouds have forgiven me!!!!

2005-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

I find it rather ironical how the monsoons seem to function in New Delhi, between and a little after school hours.
If at all, it rains during either of the two below-mentioned time slots :-

For approximately twenty five minutes, beginning from when a teacher commences his/her boring lecture and concluding about two minutes before the bell rings, hence allowing us ten more than minus ten minutes to wet ourselves in its glory.
For a good thirty minutes commencing just about two minutes after our buses have begun moving (after school is over that is) and coming to an abrupt end just about three minutes before the first bus-stop, thereby clearly mocking at us from beyond the barriers of the solid metallic walls of the bus, which inspite of their sturdiness, rattle as though hell is breaking loose, as the bus glides (*snigger* Did I say glide?) over the smooth (*snigger* *snigger*) roads of our city.

Coming back to the rain, clearly they do not wish to serve us beyond providing us with twenty minutes of relief and three days of subsequent humidity.

Alas, that is the case no more. I have been exculpated by the Rain Lords for all the sins I have committed over my lifetime. Allow me to elaborate.

Today, as my math tuition class came to an end, and I was permitted (by myself) to shut (very tightly) my holy math book and cease to continue my not-so-much-of-a-struggle with Indefinite Integrals, I heard a rather strangely familiar sound creeping in from beyond the doorway. Yes! I was not imagining it! It was the sound of little droplets of water falling on gravel and concrete! But do surprises never cease! Within minutes, the little droplets doubled in volume following which they trebled both, in volume and in viscosity. Gawk! Science!

Anyways, I thus took the delight of walking past the two morons who stood under the roof, protecting them from sweet solace, closing my bag tight in order to prevent the water from wetting my books and/or my phone and leaped onto the street!
The next two minutes I spent in making my way through the puddles and around the stationary cars, wiping my spectacles pointlessly every two minutes.

I reached home, came upstairs, found that it was not worth missing and made my way to the balcony where I stood for long, allowing the water to wash away my worries! All the while, Seema didi wondered as to why precisely I refused to change out of my wet clothes and how many more puddles I planned to leave here and there.

Eventually, the rain ceased to fall, yet I remain ever so grateful to the Rain Gods for forgiving us here in good old (cursed) New Delhi!

Another incident that took place some minutes ago was my brushing against a stray cat that sat in the darkness on one of the steps connecting the two floors of our house, so engrossed in selfishly staring at the mouse trapped in a cage we set for it, that it remained quite oblivious to the loud slapping of my slippers on the marble as I made my way down the stairs. She gave me quite a shock and I'm sure that she wasn't too complacent either.

Well, that's all for today folks! G'night!

Short Ramble

2005-08-05T02:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been quite some time since I've made a pointless post, so readers beware.

Lots is happening in school lately, but it is far to exhausting to allow me energy to write it all out.
For one, our PE teachers are literally working our rear-ends off with march-past practice. I can't blame them for some of us are quite bad. Nonetheless, it is very tiring.

I've also been putting quite a bit into the Student Council Weblog, though since I've forgotten most of my designing, I can't give it too much. The code is, however, easy to comprehend.
Do check it out at http://thestudentscouncil.blogspot.com/

In other news, there is little other news. The weather is getting worse/better by the day.. better because the clouds prevent the sun from showing its ugly face, worse because the air is almost saturated with moisture.

Model UN is creeping closer, and I simply cannot wait for those three brilliant days of my life, that shall commence on the first and end on the third day of september of 2005.

Bah! Very little to say. I'll return and add more later. See ya!

Delhi Times : New Delhi's leading porn Daily

2005-08-01T05:02:00.000-07:00

In their esteemed wisdom, the "Times Of India" took the opportunity to draw a comparison between "Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince" and one of the cheap sex novels that the journalists of the Delhi Times (their so-called "Supplement") have off-late taken to reading, in order to be able to emulate a similar style in their numerous articles that end up on the front page.
According to the not-so-renowned (and now we know why) journalist Ranjan Yumnam, who seems not to have matured past that period of puberty where the teenager is at the peak of perversion, there exist various "sexual innuendoes" in the latest work of Joanne Katherine Rowling. Not surprisingly, Mr. Yumnam seems to be the only amongst us to have caught it. Hats off to him.
The article under scrutiny can be read here :-
Link

Something to contemplate : Why have the respective page numbers been mentioned alongside the excerpts?

Indeed, the excerpts bear as great a resemblance to sexual implications as does the thought of eating mouldy bread.

My disliking towards the Times of India group has not gone unsung on this blog, hence I shall allow someone else to do the talking this once.

The following was a letter sent to the Editor of the Times Of India by a close friend by the name of Medha Sengupta, a name that shall ring a bell to all those who read this weblog on a regular basis. I shudder to think how small a number that would be.
The Letter is as follows :-

Well, congrats TOI. It seems you have finally achieved what you have been threatening to do for a long time. Your city supplement is getting sleazier and sleazier by the day. As if it wasn't enough to print news of each latest porn-MMSes, almost 4 times a week! The other day, I was shocked to see frames from 2 of these MMSes on the front page of Delhi Times. First of all, think of the people whom think of the people whom they concern! How would you like it if someone made a disgusting porn-MMS of someone, who looks a wee bit like yourself and it was plastered all over the newspaper-- so that even those who haven't seen the MMS can know about it?
And let me tell you-- in case you offer the feeble excuse that it's "news"-- it's not! A new porn MMS pops up almost every other day. We readers care as much about them as we do about the latest C-grade film! But this Harry Potter article, I must say, simply takes the cake. I mean, what on earth possesses you(so-called) editors to print such crap??
Mr RANJAN YUMNAM has quite obviously not read the books. The poor man has got porn on the brain, if he thinks that these are "sexual innuendos." I would advise him to stop being so sex-obsessed and try being a decent journalist for a change. And not try to tarnish the image of a perfectly good- no, wonderful- book series.
He seems to have forgotten that as a journalist, he has a civic duty to fulfill. Perhaps, because of this misleading and false piece of journalism, some kids will miss out on the chance to enjoy these lovely books- because their parents have read in the "newspaper" that they are "unsuitable for children."

MUNA Bhai 3

2005-07-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

The "Bhai" ought to be omitted, honestly, because it has nothing to do with one. The title, sans the unnecessarry, would spell "MUNA 3" indicating that it is time for me to gear up for Model United Nations, three for it is my very third and the second as a Delegate.

This year, our school is honoured to be able to represent the United Kingdom, and I am honoured to be the Honourable Delegate from The United Kingdom to the First Committee : Disarmament and International Security.

In those three glorious days, I shall debate with fellow delegates on
1. Development in the field of information & telecommunication in the context of International Security
2. Establishment of nuclear weapon free zone in Central Asia
3. Relationship between disarmament & development

It surprises me that I can actually confess to find the first item on the agenda rather puzzling. As a result, I would be willing to bet my.... well, I doubt that I have anything very dear to me! Oh well, my copy of "The Half Blood Prince" then! Or maybe my share of the Oreo Cookies lying in the cupboard though disappearing fast(If only they weren't so rare).... that the Agenda will be reordered to push it down on the list of priorities, if not be deleted altogether.
The remaining two, I must say shall require a lot of research, unless I want to seem no less a fool at the conference for the Delegate of the United Kingdom would be expected to sound smart. Not quite what happened last year. While Delegate of the United States was outrightly silent and passive, the other was intolerably obnoxious.

Meanwhile, I have been unable to catch "The Nanny" for the past three days consecutively, and much to my dismay, "Who's the Boss" has been taken off air altogether! Well I never!

On a sidenote, I'm currently reading "Eat, Shoots and Leaves" and I must say that poor punctuation may bother me, but not as severly as a person obsessed about it to the degree that the author is.
Next, I shall make all atempts to read some novel by Anita Desai, an author known to be far too excessively explicit in her descriptions of what generally do not make good conversations at the dinner table. For example, we can definitely do without knowing how deep the nasal passage of an eight year old is and I am confident that an Apocalypse will not occur, should she fail to tell us what exactly thrusting up a finger up an eleven year old's nasal passage feels like.

Lately, my father and grandfather have teamed up to ensure that I am forced to have my dinner at a premature hour of eight thirty instead of nine thirty. Their justifications I cannot manage to absorb, but since they really don't bother to hear out our opinion on the matter and because my father can aruge anything for any length of time, irrespective of how sad his arguments might be, I silently concede. In my heart of hearts, I'm actually somewhat glad, for I find it quite a bother dragging myself downstairs for dinner every night, when I have the option of dining before the good old television.

Well, dinner is here, so Au Revoir.
Until next time then!

Blog Updates :
1) I've activated Pop-ups for comments in hope that people will USE IT!
2) Cat Steven with my all time favourite Wild World on "Now Playing.." Do Hear it Out!

The handkerchief that betrayed..

2005-07-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

This entry can also be titled :-

The boy who Survived.

A suitable alternative to Corporal Punishment.

A journey to the center of a Furnace.

I went for math tuition today, all happy and innocent, sprinting most of the way in hope of grabbing one of the somewhat comfortable arm-chairs.

As I climbed the steps, I noticed through the door that the room was dark. For a moment, I hoped that she happened to be out and class was canceled, I was free!

A closer look revealed the boy-who-I-don't-like glancing at me with a smug look, an evil grin on his face. As I entered the room, I realised that the reason the room was plunged in darkness, only illuminated partially by the daylight streaming through the door, was because there was no electricity.

It is said by great authors that a reader reading a good novel must not only be hooked onto the tale but must also understand the scenario in which the story takes place, which more often than not, must be described to the reader. Neither what I write presently is a novel, nor a good one. Yet, I feel obliged to describe to you, the situation that I was/am in.

The monsoons are here. It rains occasionally, but is humid at all times. The temperature, though normally remains low, is high nowadays for the sun peeks out from behind the scanty clouds on many an occasion.

Expressing what I wish to say, and would have normally elaborated vaguely in lengthy sentences, I may express in concise in the following format.

Reactant ==> Product

High Temperature + High Humidity - Electricity = Torture unto totality.

As I took my place on the hard metallic chair (without any arms), I reached into my pocket to withdraw my handkerchief, which was to be my saviour for the next hour, more like a millennium under those circumstances.

In the first pocket, my hand could find nothing but a ten rupee note and a five rupee coin, god only knows where they came from. I, then, withdrew my hand from that pocket and plunged it into the second to find it empty but for some nice soft inviting fabric, on tugging at which I brought out with my hand my pocket. Naturally, I could not detach that and use it in place of what I was supposed to find. For the second time that day, (the first time whilst I was at school) I was betrayed by my unfaithful handkerchief, which I was so sure that I had pocketed before leaving.

I had no choice but to moan very very loudly, yet suppressed to an extent of inaudibility to the five other people in the room.

Thus, I sat and wept for an hour, endless beads of sweat, struggling to solve some then-nonsensical math determinants and equations most of which I couldn't get purely because of negligible concentration and because of regular distractions placed five seconds apart from each other in order to wipe my forehead on my already wet sleeve, so much so that it was like drying water on water.

After half an hour had elapsed, the daylight started receding behind the mountains far away, or in the case of our city, simply started receding. Our wise tutor, as intelligent as every gray on her head, chose to meet this shortcoming by lighting a candle.

The reaction stood revised.

High Temperature + High Humidity + A CANDLE - Electricity = Torture unto totality + Heat Liberated.

Eventually though the worst came to an end, and I was liberated from the furnace, in the form of a very very warm and moist gas, almost floating my way home.

For my next entry, if I remember to do so, I shall describe to you all my very very distant (thank god) encounter with the Indian version of Ugly Naked Guy. Oh heck, I might as well blab it all out right now.

As I was making my was to chemistry tuition at 3 in the afternoon, my eyesight happened to fall on, much to my dismay and before I could shield them, on a grown youth, coated in black (so much so that I assumed that he was cleaning out a pothole) walking in a direction perpendicular to my direction of motion.

What stood out (pun intended) was the fact that he was butt naked. It was a rather ugly sight. This is the first time in all my life that I have seen something so ugly within a kilometer of my home, or for that matter within a kilometer of many homes.

The funniest part was that he didn't even have much to boast about. I know, I know.... ugh! Sorry about that.

Anyways, that sums up my entry for today, so goodbye!

Bizzy Bizzy Bizzy..

2005-07-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Time is short and there is lots to say.

1) I DO NOT LIKE J K ROWLING
Killing who-she-killed was totally uncalled for.. I do not hate he-who-actually-killed as much as I hate her, for he-who-killed's actions were very much in her own hands.
I hope to god she plans to release the next book sooner than soon.

2) I DO NOT LIKE THE TWELFTH STANDARD
We put in twice the effort and receive in return somewhere between 50-80% of the output that we got in the eleventh standard. Unfair upto totality.

3) Talk about Irony.
On sunday, we held a havan (ritual) to welcome into the world, my fourth nephew who was born earlier this month. Knowing that it is the rainy season, we wanted to have the option of holding it somewhere inside the house, instead of the conventional location which would happen to be the verandah.
With that motive in mind, we slogged and slogged to clean up the lobby upstairs which was spacious enough to accomodate all those who cared enough to attend.
As luck would have it, the clouds were somewhat scanty and sparse in the morning, thus we decided to stick to the verandah.
The havan started at 11:00. The sky was clad by 11:10. Rain fell at 11:15. We were all drenched by 11:15:30. The umbrellas were out and ready, hence all the youth present was in action, holding up the umbrellas high above the heads of our seniors. The rain finished before we could. Quite an experience.
It is believed that if it rains during a ritual (a wedding, a havan etc.) then it is considered a lucky omen. Let us hope so.

I must go and continue my studies now, thus shall not be able to write a rant about how low the Hindustan Times has stooped and how desperate "The Times Of India" and its rival are, that they choose to corrupt the minds of the youth in order to achieve larger readership.

Au revoir.

The Analogy between Physics and Ekta Kapoor Soaps ..

2005-07-14T05:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, today I shall do what I sincerely hope has never been done before and thus makes this endavour a first.
I shall make a comparison between "Physics" and "Ekta Kapoor's K-Serials" and leave for you to decide whether or not you agree..

No. 1
Physics is universal. It is invariable. The physics studied in the United Kingdom is quite the same as that studied in India, with the only exception being that the Physics taught in the 12th Grade here is taught in College up there.

Similarly, all the Ekta Kapoor Soaps (henceforth referd to as EKS) are based on one common plot. Though the same events mayn't occur at the exact same time in all her programs, each and every story winds up with the same "twists" and "turns" and that too in the same chronological order.

No. 2
Physics has the same symbols, the same constants, and similar expressions to explain most of its theories.

EKS have the same actors, the same actresses and if not the same, then equally pathetic extras.

No. 3
Physics has succeeded in proving many theories popularly believed to be impossible. It has brought to life the unimaginable, and has proved time tested principles and beliefs false.

I feel I should elaborate on this analogy through an example.
It has always been believed by mankind that since the mother gives birth to the child, and since the mother and the child age at the same rate (i.e. 1 year per year), then it would only make more sense for the mother to look older than the child.
Yet, in "Kkusum", we observe that the protagonist, who plays a ?40? year old mother looks no older than her 20 year old daughter.

No. 4
There is no beginning, and no ending to Physics. If not an endless chain, it is a vast inter-connected network of theories and relations.

EKS have one long consistent storyline which never comes to an end. The "Universal Ekta Kapoor Soap Narrative" is like a chain cycle which repeats itself and is never exhausted. It only comes to an end on accounts of dipping TRP's in which case the cycle is manually terminated.

With that, I conclude this analogy.

Strange new (non-existent sport)

2005-07-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I awoke from a rather strange dream in which I was sampling a what-appeared-to-be-thrilling yet incomprehendible activity. I don't know why I find it incomprehendible, but I just do.

The dream took place in some very strange land for though we were parked at a very high altitude, I could see a beach, as beautiful as those of Goa, at a small distance. The sea adorned a charming look.

To begin with, it was of the same genre as Sky-Diving. The only exception was that instead of wearing parachutes, we wore life-jackets. Not the ordinary kinds, but special ones fixed with a very very small jetpack, which was operated with a button who's placement on the lifejacket wasn't too precise, for I would often fumble for it and would fail in locating it.
I guess I've justified why it seems incomprehendible.

The activity included wearing the jetback, boarding a rectangular vehicle which bore strong resemblance to a chopper with the exception that I failed to locate the pilot.
Moving on, the chopper took us upwards a good few thousand feet following which it began to take us on a ride (a very fast ride) towards some snow peeks. I'm guessing that this included a spot of sight-seeing that was included with the Awkward-Sky-Diving (ASD) package. The snow peeks resembled the ones I saw in Manali last month, so I believe that the dream was possibly because of my visit and my longing to return there again.

Anyways, when we returned to the spot where we had started out (meanwhile crossing barren canyons and gorges on our way back from the joy-ride), the Heli-like-thing began to hover in its place and we were asked to jump out together and grab each others' hands (as they do in ordinary sky-diving). We jumped, but didn't quite succeed in making a circle. (We included me and around 11 other strangers whom all I knew then.)
So I cannot say whether or not I landed safely. But I sure did wake up in one piece and that too without a life jacket on, so I can be thankful for that.

Ciao!

BSES Yamuna : Making People's Lives Miserable

2005-07-10T00:48:00.000-07:00

It is 1:00 PM and power supply has finally resumed.
The duration of this last power cut began somewhere about 11:00 AM. Doesn't sound too bad? Try 11:00 AM yesterday.

With the privatisation of Electricity however many years ago, people looked forward to fewer power cuts, more regularity in power supply, better customer care and somewhat less ambiguous billing.
In turn, they got (and get) as many power cuts, pathetic customer care, billing with zero transparency and mind, they've gone up threefold. Every citizen's dream come true!

Earlier on, whenever we had a power problem, we had only to go to the DESU office and inform them of it, that they'd assure us of sending someone over ASAP, and not one but four men would beat us on the way home.
Privatisation == Profit making == cost cutting has resulted in one-fourth the manpower available to them, and it takes about 6 hours to get someone to look up a complaint.

The most interesting fact is that the first opportunity they got, the Electric Company had every electric meter in every household replaced with a new one. The purpose of these brand-new extra-sensitive meters are that they can pick up consumption that earlier wasn't picked up.

For example, if your toaster is plugged in and the key is closed, you are being charged whether or not the toaster is actually being used.
Usage of 0 Watt bulbs is actually billed though they really don't do any work, i.e., are not technically supposed to be billed.

As a result, we end up paying tons more than we ought to be paying, and the service is far more pathetic. Time for us to rethink about privatisation. The Left actually has a point when they lobby against it.

Returning to the 26 hour powercut, I would like to elaborate on the anger that is still bubbling inside of me.
Last night, on her way to the market, mother inquired at the DESU office as to why the power cut had lasted all day and when we could expect resumption of the supply. She was told that they were changing a transformer and that it would be up and running shortly.
True to their word, the supply had resumed in a short while. Two hours later, it was gone again. 20 minutes afterwards, our Inverter, having faithfully served us all day, popped its cloggs and went out. A very very warm and uncomfortable sleepless night stretched ahead of us. BSES Yamuna would time and time again play jokes on us by resuming the power supply for 20 minutes (just about enough time to say "Phew") and then cut it again. This happened 3-4 times.

In the morning, I set out to the office (which is walking distance) eager to blast the first officer I could find. Much to my disappointment, there was not a single officers to be found, which was the exact number of engineers to be found. The only souls in sight was a poor security guard, probably exasperated by having received the complaints of so many, something that wasn't a part of his job profile, and a few workers who could do nothing but sit around since there was no engineer to give them instructions. I admired the fact that they had shown up while there was not a trace of their seniors.
Hence, not an ounce of effort had been made to restore our power since the night before, as I discovered.

On my way home, I was speculating the various methods I could have adopted to ruthlessly murder the authorities responsible for our misfortune. Two options before me were :-
a) To shoot them. But I had no gun.
b) To strangle them with my bare hands. But I had no neck to strangle.
____

Anyways, the power has been resumed, and I have almost been pacified. I shall now go and catch up on my long lost sleep, thus I bid you all a temporary goodbye.
If indeed anyone has read this post till the end, do tell me so for I must personally congratulate you.
G'afternoon.

Return of the thing!

2005-07-08T02:17:00.000-07:00

I had feared that my one and a half week sabbatical would result in my readership plunging lower than the Stock Markets on "Black Monday". The loss was however not so trememdous since this count is yet to touch one hundredth of its stock market counterpart.

Allow me to make it up.
I shall, this very moment, share with you a rather amusing antic performed by a gathering of 16 year olds. For it would cause me inconvenience if I were to disclose their identity or location, I shall relate it as a story that happened in a land far far away though no more than 12 kilometers frommy house.

There was, once upon a time, a college professor who was hopelessly bad at controlling his class. Very often, the professor's students would conduct themselves in a manner considered inappropriate in college classrooms of India and the professor would fail to check them.

One such instance occured while the professor was teaching that class, making desperate attempts to cover the syllabus that was to be completed. In the midst of the class, the professor was summoned to the Dean's office. The professor had no choice but to obey and was compelled to abandon the class in the middle of a lesson.

What happened in the professor's absence was spectacular. The students, renowned for their notoriety, chose to play a gag on the teacher and abandoned the class completely. A particular batch of students, those normally characterised by showing eagerness to study at all hours of the day, offered immense resistance and had, eventually to be pushed out by their classmates. The children scattered to the nearest restrooms, some going willingly, others having to be pushed. (Mark that those that were thrusted were not thrusted into the restrooms of the opposite sex, but merely offered resistance for they constituted the abovementioned group found to be studying at all hours of the day except when they are sleeping, though I have reason to believe that they have a tendency to revise their tables in their dreams. College students, though do not normally learn, let alone revise, math tables but do so in their sleep [as I suspect] since that is as much as an unconcious mind can manage.)
Anyways, once all the scramming and thrusting had elapsed, or possibly a little while after the scramming and thrusting had elapsed, the professor's meeting with the dean underwent a similar phenomenon (of elapsing) and the professor returned to her classroom, only to find it entirely empty. When I say empty, I mean that there was no human being in the classroom since the ants on the floor and the lizards on the wall neither left willingly, nor were pushed out by the notorious students.

As the professor was fuming, and since the classroom was located dangerously close to the office of a higher authority (the kind who are known to sanction short and long vacations to the students under the "Suspension" quota), the students came running back, humbled and apologetic. The teacher, being a push-over, was conveniently pacified and all was normal.

Pol. Science was resumed again.

The Glum of Insects.

2005-07-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that the monsoons are here? Inspite of the fact that all the rainfall we've received in the past two days is but one centimeter more than minus one, the cloud cover is shielding us from the intolerable sun.

Though it brings much awaited respite from the heat, the rainfall also brings with it the much despised (by me) insects. These insects come in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes. The variations do not impart to them a glam quotient to any degree. Hence, they cannot be purchased off the shelves of the most exhorbitantly overpriced gift shops. Instead, one can find them on the back of one's head, up one's arm, under one's feet and/or pretty much anywhere that one mightn't be willing to entertain insects.

I have a certain appeal that works not on girls (or women for that matter..... or men for that matter [Psst, my servant follows me around an awful lot.. but that's another blog entry]) but seems confined to insects. They end up in the most abnomal places, uninvited. All the more awkward is the fact that they seem to affect only me.

Hereare a few examples to justify my not so controversial statement.

1) The other day, I was walking home from the market, singing a song, and when I but least expected it, I realised that a flown into my mouth! How abnormal is that! Almost paranormal.

2) In the evening today, I was seated with four other people in the drawing room eyeing the pineapple pastry on the glass dish, impatiently waiting for the two guests to leave so that I could swallow it up in one lustful go without looking improper in front of too many people, when I felt someone touch my hair from behind. I turned around to find nobody there and realise that it was indeed an insect rustling in forbidden territory which resulted in me shrieking in a manner only a little more inappropriate than swallowing an entire pastry in one go.
Having relocated myself to the rocking chair, I spent less than five minutes rocking that I was made consious of the fact that something had crept into my floaters, just underneath my foot. On further inquiry, I realised that it was a jet black beetle, so finely located that it it was almost as if it had stood patiently on the carpet awhile, contemplating how to leap so as to land exactlywhere it did. I ended up once again crying in disgust, attracting the attention of four annoyed adults for the second time in that span-of-ten-minutes.
Eventually, the guests left and I treated myself to the delicious Pineapple pastry.

*Yawn* It's late and I must go and satisfy my sleep for the second-last time (for school opens monday and I shall have to rise daily at quarter to six, which in this part of the world we call routine).

Good Night fellow readers!

To detest or not to detest, that is the question....

2005-06-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

For the last time in my life, I shall be depressed that school is about to open. However, for the very first time in my life, my mind wonders otherwise.

Being my last year in school, I should instead look forward to school opening again. But age old habits die hard, and this one doesn't really seem to die at all. Next year onwards, I shall probably detest looking forward to the end of my summer vacations, when in college.

But the question at hand presently is whether or not to be upset about the fact that school is opening.

Let us contemplate and list out the positive and negative aspects of resuming school :-
PROs
1) I have no incomplete holiday homework (primarily because I haven't any holiday homework)
2) I shall once again get to have fun with friends.
3) Ummm.... Errr.... Short list, no?

CONs
1) No more waking-up-as-and-when-I-want-to or rather waking-up-when-my-father-starts-clearing-his-throat-loudly.
2) Once again being pressurised left and right by teachers.
3) Lots of work, so little time.
4) I have studied very negligibly for my UT's..

I think point 4 defeats all others, hence I shall list no more.

Bah, I really ought to be studying as much as I can.

Busy Busy

2005-06-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

Being as it is, I find myself rather occupied in the last week of summer hols, if I may call the 5 miserable weeks that we were spared the agony of attending school, so..

Hence, I shall follow the advice of Medha Sen Gupta and have changed the song that frequently falls under the title "Now Playing...." on the blog that is mine..

Hence, please delve in the company of REM as they belt out for you, "Losing My Religion".

Till some other time then!

All decencies must come to an end....

2005-06-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

*sob* And my vacation finally came to a close. I don't believe that those beautiful few days have actually ended. I cannot imagine being ripped away from the beautiful place that is Manali.

All the more, it is hard to be back in horrible ole New Delhi, where it is intolerably hot (even though it rained today) and where we do not require a light jacket in the evenings..

Anyhow, the vacation was thoroughly enjoyable. The tops were the visit to Rohtang Pass (Snow!!), sliding down the slope in a tube, sliding down the slope without a tube (with my sister.. we couldn't find the path around the snow, we couldn't manage to stay on our feet, so we chose to slide down in sitting position.. Our trousers were WET!!), zorbing and ofcourse White Water Rafting..

Pictures and more later.
Sola!

On Vacation!!

2005-06-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

And we're off to Manali!

Well, not as yet. But this time tomorrow, I shall be about 2000 metres higher than where I currently stand. I shall not have to rely on an air-conditioner, nor shall I have to complain about it being too hot.
I shall not have to pout at whatever is made for dinner. I shall pout at what we order instead.
I shall not have to endure intolerable amounts of quarrels at home. I shall have to endure them in the car or in a hotel instead.

I may have to miss "The Nanny." *Wail*
On the contrary, I might not! Surely a decent hotel will show a decent(ly large) number of TV channels.

Why am I incessantly contemplating what I shall and shan't have to suffer/enjoy/endure? I ought to be packing and contemplating what all I cannot from and have to carry with me, so that I should forget to do so tomorrow.

Au Revoir then! I shall make my return in 6 days!

Wail!

2005-06-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

And just when I was going strong, I find myself once again down with a dose of Blogger's Block. I shall therefore contend myself in writing about random, senseless, incoherent subjects of discussion.

"Hallmark" is my favourite TV channel, irrespective of the fact that I hardly watch it. The esteemed channel has currently taken to airing some of the very old TV Programs that I used to watch many a year ago. These included "Silver Spoons", "Different Strokes", "I Dream of Genie", "Bewitched", "Who's The Boss" and "The Nanny", the last three of which Hallmark is currently airing.

Of the three, I watch "The Nanny" rather ardently, possibly because it's the funniest but also since I didn't watch it regularly when I was only wee years of age.

"The Nanny" revolves around Fran Drescher, a witty woman with a rather nasal voice who is picked off the street by a gentleman who pays her handsomely to look after his children.

The USPs of the serial are comic dialogues ("How now, brown cow!"), the amusing butler, the antics of a teenage boy (the second of three) and the multiple personalities of the youngest who can't be older than six. ("Honey, how was your therapy session with the psychiatrist?" "Oh, very intriguing. We took a journey through my childhood.")

Darn! Time for breakfast. Sorry I can't tell you anymore about it, and about how boring my life is presently, but I'm pushing off to the hills on Sunday.. We're off to Manali "Ahoy!" and before then, I have to take as much tuition as I can, where I'm due in forty five minutes..

So long then!

And it ceases....

2005-06-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

'Twas about seven in the evening that my nasty fit of hiccups, which I introduced y'all to in the previous entry, ceased. This is, till date, the longest duration of hiccupping I have been through. This is also one record that I wouldn't like to beat.

Update : 8:30 PM
And the hicupping returns. I had spoken too soon.
Now I shall have to greet my guests in a rather awkward manner tonight...

"Hi!! How are y*hic* Oops, sor*hic*ry! Been having a nas*hic*ty fit of hicu*hic*ps all day *hic*.."

Hic Not a cloud in the sky, got a sty in my eye.... Hic

2005-06-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

I've been down with a nasty fit of hiccups and seem to be quite quite fed up with it. If I were to go by popular belief, I am either being remembered by someone, or someone is insulting me. Either way, I'm being tormented and frustrated.

A few days back, I had a sty in my eye. It started with a searing pain every time I'd blink my eye and had me wondering if someone had poked my eyeball with full force, without my getting to know of it. Later on, the sty showed its ugly appearance and, as the dictionary defines it, bears great resemblance to a pimple. After having suffered the discomfort for three days, I made my mother ring up our eye doctor, who was found to be unavailable.. Only then did it occur to her that, the problem being a common one, could easily be diagnosed by our friendly chemist. Having procured the cream, I applied it and indeed within half an hour, (Poof!) the pain was gone! The sty was indeed, no different than a pimple, on bursting which, I discovered some fine white pus, and blood.. both which were very ugly. They were stuck on an eyelash, which I had to pluck out.

I ought to find something else to talk about, oughtn’t I?

Plan Tropica : 75% Completed....

2005-06-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

On the 3rd of April of this very year, I initiated Plan Tropica. On the 4th of April, I forgot all about it. Somewhere between that day and now, it must have come to my mind during which I managed to harass my mother enough to escort me to the glass cutter to pull apart the aquarium (in order to reduce it in size. It was humongous, you see.)

Inspite of her daily prayer to lord almighty asking that he should break the entire dratted thing in the process of pulling it apart, her prayers went unanswered. The holy lord was possibly listening to his walkman. An iPod is somewhat likely to be the object in his use, since it seems to be such an unnecessarry fad nowadays, but god is above all materialistic possessions. Hence, it must have been a walkman.

Anyways, the aquarium was pulled apart without a scratch.. a scratch imparted to it by him, that is. The glass already bore one less that a trillion scratches on it before it was betrothed to him. It was then reduced to the prescribed dimensions.

The next step was to glue it back together, which he had declined to do. And before that came the even more momentous task of cleaning that admant muck off the glass, every bit of it's ugly white form. That, too, he had declined to do.
I got down to cleaning the muck off it and managed to rejuvenate 3 of 6 glasses (not a very good job, mind. But the best that could be done.. being that it was done my me!) after which I duly forgot about the rest.

Three days ago, my father remembered that I had mentioned to him an even longer time back (about six months if I'm not mistaken) my interest of restarting my aquarium. He had promised me a fresh piece made by his glass-cutter but I had declined, saying that I could do with a reduced version of the old one.
Nonetheless, he got a new one made. That, as I started out to say, was three days ago.
Since then, I have placed it in its predecessor's position, added the requisite amount of water, placed in it rocks, shells, gravel, filter and the cute little house that the fish don't bother exploring, places the rest of the equipment etc. etc.

It is now ready to be occupied.
By tomorrow, it shall be occupied.
The tenants will be needy and demanding, and shall pay no rent, unless a market for fish poop is developed overnight.
The tenants will have to be fed.
Their home will have to be periodically cleaned.
I shall have to be the person feeding the tenants.
I shall have to clean their home at no cost (of theirs).

I did not think this over.

This is a landlord's worst nightmare. This is a waterlord's compulsion.

Pictures tomorrow.

Attention seeking scoundrels, every one of them!

2005-06-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

LK Advani recently made a landmark visit to Pakistan. A landmark in the Sahara desert.

The purpose of his "diplomatic" visit was to transform him from a politician into a Statesman. Neither was his visit "diplomatic" in the true sense, nor does he bear the stature of a statesman.
The reason I don't consider his visit "diplomatic" in the true sense is because though he succeeded in pleasing our esteemed neighbours, he quite upset the citizens of his own nation.

Mark, the people who were upsetted by his controversial remarks include :-
1) Members of his own party. (BJP)
2) Members of his party's parent organisation. (RSS)
3) People of the ruling party, his arch rivals who thought that they might as well throw salt on his open wounds. (Congress)
4) The media, for hopeless as it is and having nothing else to report, they reduced themselves to convering Advaniji's dull, boring, ridiculous, attention-seeking dialogues and the lame reactions of his partymen.

Breaking News
RSS declines to back BJP's resolution praising Advani's visit to Pakistan.

Whom, may I ask (besides the BJP), cares whether or not the RSS supports their resolution? Who cares if the resolution is passed at all? Will you read it? Will I read it? Will our parents, our friends, our forefathers, lord almighty read it?
I certainly doubt that even members of the BJP (the ones who haven't a hand in drafting it) will read it. Then why in the world does it qualify as "breaking news"? I'd rather call it "Nerve-breaking news"..

My father, ardent follower of the BJP, quite like the rest of my family, was exclaiming with great pleasure that how in the past one year during which the Congress has been in power, BJP seems to be in the news much more, despite being the opposition.
Why, may I ask, have they been in the news so much?
1. Taking regular leave from work :- That is how I rather frame "boycott of parliament."
I ask you all a simple question. Tomorrow, when you all have jobs (and some of you, surely have one, already) will you take regular leave? Complaining that you do not like your colleagues? Arguing that you aren't compatible with your boss? Cribbing that people with senior posts are not doing that job right? Will that entitle you to take repeated leave from work?
2. Throwing tantrums :- Or in other words, "Walking out of the Parliament".. Are we, as school children, allowed to walk out of our classrooms while the teacher is teaching? More often than not, we aren't. If we do, we wind up with a good lot of Punishment. The BJP, however, excapes unscathed every single time. Why? No one to check them. No one that they are answerable to.
3. Publicity Stunts :- The exact present situation that I have described.
4. Kidnappings, Smugglings & Corruption.... In our faces! :- The Congress is equally (or all the more) to be blamed on this account. Talk about ferrying MLA's all over the country to prevent them from being bribed by the opponents. This is an open show of the existence of corruption in both the parties, and it is as good as there in the news. Have they no shame? Are they so desperate for power, that they'll sink to such low levels to get it? Quite quite disgusting, I must say. Both the parties are an insult to the Indian Political System, which in turn is an insult to India itself.
5. Demanding Resignations :- I fail to understand how a demand for the Chief Minister's resignation will make the CM say, "Oh dear! The opposition is unhappy with me! I shall resign." This is India. Bearing in mind that muck like the BJP constitutes a significant part of the political system, and the other parties aren't much better (though worse is possible), it is almost.. well, not almost.. it is impossible upto totality to expect the someone from the ruling party to give up political power only because anybody is demanding it, let alone the opponents.. Nonetheless, it is a good way to make news.
6. Sob! Sniff! Why did we lose? :- This very issue dominated newspapers for quite some time after the elections. The BJP is yet to come to terms with its loss. They just cannot deal with it. How pathetic can they get!

I'm sure that had I wanted to, I'd have been able to add much more to the concise list that I have prepared. But let's leave something for next time, shall we?

The bigger they grow, the harder they find it to regress..

2005-06-09T01:21:00.000-07:00

I recall mentioning something to the tone of having lots to talk about yet little time, sometime last week. Bearing in mind that I was scheduled to appear for the Scholastic Aptitude Test on the saturday of the same week, as I did, I was unable to share the "lots" that I had to talk about with you. Today, I have decided to make ammends for the same.

The weekend before the last, my cousin from Doon School paid us a visit here at New Delhi. Happened as it was and always does, he was staying at his grandparents' home, who though happen to be my grandparents as well, differ only in the respect that to him they are paternal, and to me, maternal.
Being as close knit as we are, us lot of cousins, we all decided to pay him a visit. 'We' includes two cousin sisters who live quite close by to his place and were, hence, there a good twenty four hours before us, one cousin brother (one of a pair of siblings) who lives under the very same roof, and finally the two of us, my sister and I (or is it me? Beyond doubt, SAT prep hasn't helped too much to differ between the two.).

The adults in the household back then included one and one alone, mu uncle whose wife and daughter is at her parens' home in Bombay. Also since all three uncles are great fun, an adult's oresence wasn't much of an abberation in our performing our antics. I may point out that our entire lots was aged between 16 and 23. Heck, how could that stop us.

As always happens, us cousins all under the same roof does not exactly spell discipline. Years after that was repeatedly endorsed by us and our superiors, little seems to have changed. When put under the same roof, every bit of evolution that we have been subjected to mysteriously vanishes without a trace and we regress to our younger, naughtier selves.

The entire afternoon was utilised in planning the evening and night that stretched before us. Having dispersed to manage our individual businesses, we reconvened with snacks for the evening, comprising waffers, ice-creams, an extra large bottle of a soft drink by the name of Pepsi, and Instant Noodles by the name of maggie, should we acquire a sudden urge to cook, as they had done the previous night.
We also gathered every take-away restraunt menu to entertain us.

Night came, dinner came, dinner was eaten, uncle went of to sleep, we began playing killer, we were too loud, uncle woke up, pleaded us to be quieter, went back to sleep (or so we hoped), we played more of killer, I cheated, killed a few without actually being the killer, laughed hysterically, puzzled the actual killer, deceived the detective, made the others panick ("Has he gone mad?"), resumed the game, got bored of it, abandoned it.

Then came the actual business. The phone was found, a randomly chosen restraunt was phoned. Oh yes, it was Two O' Clock at night.

Oldest Cousin : Hello?
Sleepy man at the other End : Hello! Yes, please speak.
C : Yes, I wanted to place an order.
Sleepy man at the other End (Confused) : Sorry but our last order is at eleven.
C : But it's very urgent. We're having a party this side. And our food is all over.
SMATOE : It's two o'clock.
C : And your point is?
SMATOE : It's two o'clock at night.
C : Had I wanted the time, I would've looked at a clock.
SMATOE (annoyed.... and sleepy) : We cannot take orders at this hour.
C : But please! What will we tell our guests?
*We laugh, giggle.. The gentleman at the other end hears us, and realises us that it's a joke*
SMATOE : Fine, I'll take your order in person. Please come here and give your order.
C : I can't. It's too far.
SMATOE : Well, we can't deliver. No delivery men here.
C : Why don't I send my car over? You can send the food with the driver.
SMATOE : If you have a car, then WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU COME AND TAKE THE FOOD YOURSELF?
*cousin sister takes over*

C : Bhaiya, please take our order, we're very hungry.
SMATOE (Softens his tone) : Madam, I'm very sorry but I cannot take your order.
C : Bhaiya but please. *Starts "crying"*
SMATOE : Madam, I'm very sorry! *sounding a little helpless* but I can't take your order.

__
After a little more rubbish, we got bored and hanged up on him
__

Call #2 : Eldest Cousin to Bus-Travel Service

C : Yes, I wanted to enquire as to how I can go to Amritsar.
MATOE (This one wasn't sleepy) : Sir, a bus leaves daily at 6:00 AM.
C : Bus? Couldn't you give me information about a flight or a train?
MATOE : Err, this is a bus-service, sir.
C : Oh! No, no.. no bus. It takes too long. Would you happen to know about flights or trains to Amritsar?
MATOE : Well, no sir. But the bus doesn't take long sir! Six hours, and you're there!
C : And what about stoppage on the way?
MATOE : Sir?
C : How often does it stop on the way? For eating.. going to the bathroom etc..
MATOE : Oh! Once sir!
C : Once? Are you telling me that it stops once in six hours?
MATOE : Why yes sir! Is that a problem?
C : You think a person has to go to the bathroom only once in an hour?
MATOE : (Humbly) I know that a person needs to go to the bathroom more than once in six hours sir. But I can't help it sir.
C : But how can one be made not to go to the bathroom more than once in six hours? Any way, when does this bus come back?
MATOE : Sir, a bus returns from Amritsar at..
C : Oh no! I need to return on the same bus. Very quickly. I just got married you see, and I can't let my wife know of my journey.
MATOE : Errr.... *ahem* Congratulations on your marrige sir!
C : Thank you!
MATOE : Well, the next bus returns at ____ .
C : No.... that's too late.. Anyhow, thank you for your time.
MATOE : Sir?
C : Bye! *hangs up*

______

Call #3 : Some ordinary restraunt. By the name of.... let's assume it was called Kharbanda's.
This time, it was cousin sister.

C : Hello?
SMATOE : Yes?
C : I wanted to place an order.
SMATOE : The restraunt is closed.

*The same old Gibberish*

C : Is Mr. Kharbanda there?
SMATOE : Who?
C : Mr. Kharbanda.
SMATOE : Oh, no he's not here.
C : What's his full name by the way?
SMATOE : Sunny Kharbanda.
C : Well, I'd like to speak to him.
SMATOE : Well, he's not here. It's very late, in case I haven't told you.
C : Bah!
*hangs up*

Then we call him again, and this time, my eldest cousin speaks again. I guess he's the master of it all.

C : Hello, Raju? This is Sunny speaking.
SMATOE : Who?
C : Sunny Kharbanda.
SMATOE : Oh oh! Yes sir.
C : Had a girl just called to place her order?
SMATOE : What?
C : I said, had a girl just called to place her order?
SMATOE : Errr.... Oh, yes sir.
C : Good! Have you taken it?
SMATOE : No sir.. I told her the restraunt was closed.
C : WHAT? WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
SMATOE : Uh.. sorry sir! I didn't know.
C : You fool! She was an important customer.
SMATOE : I'm really sorry sir. I didn't know.
C : But why didn't you take her order?
SMATOE : I'm sorry sir. I didn't know. What should I do now?
C : What's to do.... Do one thing. Keep the restraunt open, I'm just coming.

*hangs up*

Oh dear! I'm really tired of typing and I'm sure that if you're still reading, you're quite tired of it. I shall quickly summarize the third call. My sister and I spoke. The victim was a fool at a restraunt serving Greek food. My sister put on a .. well, greek accent, and I mastered my finest british one. We called up the fool, asked him to take our order, he refused saying that it was too late into the night. We argued saying that it was morning in Greece and that we wanted breakfast, while repeatedly iterating that it was a greek restraunt. We argued, he objected, sister pretended to cry, he got all apologetical, we got bored, had the ice-cream (the coke and chips were already over), we hung up, called it a day (or night, rather) and went to sleep.

"The Nanny" is about to start on "Hallmark Channel" and I am beckoned by the television set. I advise to you watch the same. A Timeless comedy it is, yessir! A timeless comedy!]

Cheers!

Media Slaughter! (SS, TSF Follow up)

2005-06-08T01:19:00.000-07:00

A dear dear friend by the name of Medha Sengupta, has brought to my notice a rather interesting article about the Times of India..

I take the opportunity to share it with you all..

SAY NO TO MEDIA SLAUGHTER!

Thanks Medha!

2005-06-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

Doesn't it feel quite odd when, five years after passing on a rather interesting chain letter, you check your mailbox only to find that it has come back to you?
And wouldn't it be all the more funny if the chain letter in actuality happened to be a rather nonsensical prank played on whom all you strongly believe to be utter fools?

Well, a long time friend by the name of Pom~s, fondly (or forcefully, either will do for him) called Poms, took the opportunity to put me in the very situation that I brought to your notice the very minuite you commenced reading this post. The reason that the prank that I shall shortly describe was attempted to be played on me, years after I made its acquaintance, can be only one of the following possibilities..

He had little access to the internet when it[the prank] when it was indiscriminatingly making its first rounds through everybody's e-mail inboxes.
He has a rather failing memory and seems to have forgotten the entire purpose of the prank as well as its existence in world (recent) history.
He, instead (of what, I do not know!), gives me insufficient credit and takes me to be a birdbrain, assuming that I shall fall into the very visibly laid trap that nothing short of a blind rabbit would venture onto.
Perhaps lives in a timezone that lies five years behind the GMT and has only just received that prank e-mail.

Having shared the possible reasons of my receiving this prank letter, I shall finally reveal to you all what the prank letter is.
The prank underwent creation courtesy an esteemed service by the name of "Crush 007", or something of that nature. Its purpose is to reveal one person's secrets to his/her friends and annoying acquaintances who have ended up on his/her address book. The methodology adopted is simple. They have prepared a questionnaire using their full wisdom (which their work only suggests is that of a twerp) to include questions that reveal one's most personal secrets. They attract people to answer those questions by stating that it shall predict their future love life. On pressing the fateful "Submit" button, these details are instantly transferred to the victim's friend's inbox, the one who was deceitful enough to send it to him. The victim is also given an opportunity to victimise further through a similar approach, the subjects being other foolish nitwits.

I shall now return to my purpose of writing this web log, lest I draw off on a tangent and begin criticising prank websites in general.

So Pom aka "Poms" thought me too unwise a victim to fool, and hence sent me this prank. It's contents and my responses, which I felt should be shared with more than one person, that too a person whose ingenious plan has failed and is thus unlikely to be amused by my wisdom over his dead horse of a plan, I share with you.

Caution : You may not find it funny. Henceforth, kindly bear in mind that you choose to read what shall be written henceforth, and I am on no account to be held responsible should you find it lame.

Re-Caution : The material hereafter is suggestive of a same-sex relationship between Pommie and a fictional character (well, not really fictional but it isn't who it says it is. Nor does this character exist under alias. Therefore, he is deemed fictional.) though it contains little explicit language, the little explicit language there is, has not been imposed by me. "Crush 007" may be held responsible for that.

________________

Love And Sex Life Prediction

Over the years, thousands of people has taken our Love and Sex Life Prediction and our predictions came true every single time. We will let you do the Love and Sex Life Prediction for FREE, in return, we hope you will tell your friends about Crush007. (thats how you got here, right?)

Crush007.com predicts your future Love and Sex life based on your answers on a few questions (We will analyze your answers using our patented Crush-O-Matic program). Crush007 will tell you the nature of your boyfriend or girlfriend, first and last crush. And Oh, did we tell you that Crush007 is able to predict exactly how long (YES! down to the minute) you can get along well with each of them?

Remember, this is a game of honesty. To get the best predictions, you have to answer the following questions honestly otherwise our Crush-O-Matic will analyze the wrong sets of data!

The Basics :

Your Name : Sachin Tendulkar
Your Email : sachintendulkar@hotmail.com
Gender : Male
Birthdate : 14 July 1972 [Randomly entered.. I do not possess full knowledge of when cricket superstars were brought into our world by the holy stork]

1. Name of your biggest crush:
Poms

2. Name of your first crush:
Poms

3. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend ?
(Jump to Question 6 if you answered no)
Yes

4. If Yes, Write down his/her name:
Poms

5. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, what is the current status of your relationship ?
I wanna marry him/her

6. Ever had sex in your life ?
Yes

7. Do you watch porn sites/movies ?
Yes

8. How many times do you masturbate in a week ?
More than 7 times a week.

9. Are you attracted to an individual of the same sex ?
Yes

10. Which skin color would you prefer in your partner ?
Fair

11. What turns you ON the most ? (Hair, eyes, etc)
Everything about Poms

12. Would you like to go out with the person who sent this mail
No, I directly want him to be my wife.
________________
Thus, with full confidence of not having revealed even one secret of my personal life, I pressed the Submit button. I hope he enjoys the feedback. And I sincerely hope it reaches him soon, and not five years later.

Tsk, Kids.

Sex, Sleaze.... those sickening fleas..

2005-06-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

Without any premonitions whatsoever, they have arrived. To Corrupt morality. To belittle society. To sacrilege the mere definition of ethics. "The Times Of India" is out to ruin.

Today, I was pleasantly shocked to find printed in nice and bold letters on the front page of the infamous newspaper, "Another porn MMS hits the city." Before my eyes moved to the content of the article, not atypical to a newspaper such as this, I stopped and wondered why I wasn't surprised. I was, afterall, reading the TOI, wasn't I?

I must commend the Times of India reporters for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To them, wrong is right, hence that is of little concern. Where they ought to be is where actual news is being made. Their definition of "news" however, is gossip, gossip and sheer gossip. I'm curious to know what dictionary they are currently using. A safe assumption would be that it has been purchased from a porn site.

Where exactly does one find the ordinary reporter? Possibly outside at a politician's doorstep, at a much anticipated conference, a cultural festival, a popular exhibition. But where does one find a TOI reporter? At Paalika Bazaar, inquiring the latest entries into the porn market, the sales graph of Japanese animated porn or any other scoop either fit to cash in on, or carrying the scope to be seasoned and thus made juicy enough to cash in on. Since the last is quite rare, they are more likely to turn up at gruesome murder scenes or elite restraunt which is frequented by Page 3 socialites, or cine stars.. the better, the juicier..

The "scoop" on the porn MMS starring "2 prominent film stars" was reported in the daily edition of the Times of India, the kind which is normally found at our doorstep, mush before we drag our feet out of our beds. To keep the identities of the "filmstars" secret, they have been gracious enough not to reveal any suggestive details such as the fact that "one of two siblings belonging to a family of actors, and the brother of a leading actress who is caught in a bitter family fight."
I stand corrected.. they did include those details..

It is presently 8:30 PM of the same day, and Google!News yields only 2 results on the issue of discussion. Co-incidentially, both the aritcles have been written by Times of India. Is it because other dailies find it too lowly to report such miniscule happenings while proper journalism is neglected? Unfortunately not. The Times of India has influenced other mediums quite well which is quite explicit since their research of the issue is impeccable, with current availability, mode of transmision, expected date of the video hitting the markets through a more easily accesible medium etc. etc. As seems obvious, the reporters seem to have well-informed associates to report to them with full details. Hence, should the police, for future inquiries, fail to obtain appreciable sources of information, they should convenience themselves by turning to The Times of India for their sources.

To 'Aggravate'

2005-06-02T03:39:00.000-07:00

Dictionary.com defines "Aggravate" as

To make worse or more troublesome.
To rouse to exasperation or anger; provoke

I, on the other hand, define "Aggravation" as..

An emotion experienced by a person who has spent 4 goddamn hours in front of the computer solving a sample SAT paper that contains 'n' torturous Unseen Comprehension Passages (where 1000 < n < Infinity), A Full Length thoughtfully written Essay, endless math questions and umpteen senseless sentences to be corrected, only to press the "Send Responses" button, be made to wait for 5 minutes during which "Connecting to Server" seems to be painted on the monitor, then to read those 6 beautiful words which brighten up ones day.... "The program has encountered an error" and to realise that four hours of sweat and blood has gone down the Recycle Bin.
Synonym : A Slow and Painful Death

Oh, the weather is absolutely delightful, by the way. Quite cloudy.
I can't imagine how right the weatherlady on NDTV was when she said, ".... and still no respite from the heat in the north."

Call it irony..

2005-05-30T23:31:00.000-07:00

The recent infrequency in updates, though could be attributed to Blogger's Block, really isn't because of it.. Call it irony but just when my mind is brewing with topics to blog about, time is found to be a constraint..

The reason behind that is the fact that I appear for the Scholastic Aptitude Test this saturday, which could play a role in shaping my future. I say could because it just as well couldn't. This decision of paramount importance can, fortunately, wait.
What cannot wait, however, is SAT preperation which shall be rendered useless after the Fourth of June, or at the most, the somethingth of October when I shall, if needed, make a second attempt.

For those of you exploring that avenue, I strongly advise early preperation, for the earlier you begin, the easier you find it and the more you enjoy it. Indeed, I have found preparing for SAT quite enjoyable since "Cracking the NewSAT" by Princeton Review was found to be more of a storybook than test-preperation material, and made me think that SAT was just too easy. Unfortunately, I was pulled out of the illusion very recently and a little too late by a friend, who recommended Barron's set of books, which I find to be rather hard.

I now realise that all that I'm writing is either utterly boring, and shall thus discontinue.... Until Saturday then!

And the days drag on.... Part 2

2005-05-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

Funny thing, I was unable to find "And the days drag on.... Part 1" in the archives even though I'm sure I wrote it! I suppose I did but settled for "Random Babbling" instead.

Anyways, as you must have guessed, I find myself once again with a dearth of ideas and have little to talk about. Therefore, whatever is written hereafter may be objectionably pointless and boring. May I kindly be forgiven for the same in advance.

As all of us in New Delhi are aware, it is indeed getting quite warm. This year, I have found myself unable to take out time for a short break in the hills, the prime reasons being the fact that I appear for the NewSAT on the 4th of next month and the fact that should I wish to take a vacation with my entire family, the destination is unlikely to be any higher than 1000 feet, courtesy my stubborn and annoying sister. Minor factors obstructing my journey to the mountains include my tuition classes, which I have categorised under "minor" for though I really don't care much about them, they are frequently brought up by my sister in family conversations (minus mother who is busy watching Kasauti Zindagi Ki, Kusum *blech* and/or Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin).. hence, it would be safe to say that the classes themselves are not an obstruction but are promoted to that position by my sister. Hence, 2 being-an-obstruction-in-my-quest-for-a-holiday-on-the-hills points to my sister.

My grandpapa is on pilgrimage to Hardwar and as is common when he is away (or should I say, as happens when that happens .. oh someone shut me up! ) we get to decide the menu for lunch and dinner. Being as undecisive as I am (should I wear this black T-shirt? or That black T-shirt?) I hardly ever make hay while the sun shines (or should I say have-food-of-my-choice-made when grandfather is away on a vacation.... Oh, honestly! Shut me UP!!)
My sister, nonetheless, takes full advantage to prove again and again that she makes horrible decisions when it comes to food. Last night, we had horribly-dry-pasta in tomato base for dinner. To top it off, mother "treated" us to her week-old Pineapple cake (made of flour and wheatflour) with custard to lessen the brunt of having to eat a cake made of wheatflour.

To those of you who think that I'm making an unnecessarry fuss, may I share some pictures..

The Making

The Baking

Mind, the cake indeed, was very well baked. I've never seen a softer cake in my life. Naturally, that one week in the refrigirator didn't leave it nearly so soft..

And with these ugly sights, I shall take your leave..

Until next time, then!

Tickle your Nerves

2005-05-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Thessa from Austria shared something rather amusing with some of us, and I, in turn, would like to share it with you all!

http://www.gasi.ch/verruecktheitstest.html

(You mayn't understand German, but it doesn't really matter. Tell me what you think!)

First Day, First Show, Burst Show.... Quite a Show!

2005-05-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Having heard that it was on the verge of being banned, I grabbed the first opporunity to go and watch "Naina" should the Eye Associations of India have their way. Hence, accompanied by my sister and a friend, I set off to catch the first show of the film on its first day. Having bought the tickets sometime around 9 'o' Clock (it was a 12.15 show) we obtained seats fourth row from the last, which was quite a surprise since the last time I had watched a movie sitting on a seat closer to the rear of the auditorium than the front must be about 2 years ago. Ever since, we've been restricted to the first 6 rows.

The movie I found to be quite good, really! Had it not had even a decent storyline, I wouldn't have noticed (or having noticed, wouldn't have minded) it since the fabulous direction made watching the movie worth it. Looking glamourous on-screen seems to be the flavour of the season since Urmila was looking quite quite beautiful. Had she been dumb instead of blind and consequently remained silent throughout the movie, I would've said that she looked sexy. But something in her voice is jarring to my nerves.
Moving on, there were two groups of very annoying college-goers who were seated a couple of rows ahead of ours. The girls belonging to that group resembled some of my own friends(only worse) in the sense that they were laughing and shrieking hysterically throughout, irrespective of the fact that some others were here to actually watch the movie.
Being quite distant from the lot, I wasn't aware of the nature of their conversation but judging by later events, one of the girls from lot 1(henceforth called A) must have said something insulting to a girl from lot 2(seated a little to the side, a few rows further ahead) which angered girl from lot 2, henceforth refered to as B. Knowing that all of them belonged to this part of Delhi (where people are relatively less civilised than their southern counter-parts) it was safe to assume that "something insulting" was said in Hindi medium, which is normally perceived to be much more rude as compared to insults and abuses in english.

Anyways, B was thoroughly annoyed but probably ignored the initial comments by A. However, A didn't stop there, and went on to say more.

This is where B blew it, and what happened later caught everyone's attention. B got up from her seat, fumed all the way to where A was sitting, and started slapping her to glory, abusing her throughout. The exact comments made by B are too obscene to put here, but references included a prostitute and a....well.... female dog, all of which was said in hindi.
Naturally, all were astounded and the cine-effects couldn't manage to retain the viewers' attention which was duly diverted to the cat-fight. A's group of friends tried calming B down, to no avail. B patiently sat and received all the slaps, with what I expect to be an expression of utmost shock.
Soon, I saw the lights on the ceiling flickering on, and in due time, the projector was turned off. The viewers, not to be outdone, began applauding and whistling to the spectacular scene that they were being treated to. The staff of the hall, after a while, managed to get control of things and asked both groups of people to leave. B started screaming that she wanted to take this fight outside. I assume that A was rather frightened and refused to speak. Her friend however, eager to get involved started pulling A by her hand, willingly agreed to the proposition. A wasn't moving, and a few more slaps came her way. I, meanwhile, was getting exasperated and wanted to watch the rest of the film. Fearing that the staff would ask for the hall to be vacated, I stood up and started screaming at the girls to be more civilised and let us watch the movie, knowing that the fight wasn't going to progress further, and in their presence, nor was the movie.
Fortunately, I didn't have to repeat myself. Those ruffians left, the movie progressed, and the experience came to an end.

It was quite a bargain for Rs. 75!!

A Politician's Report Card

2005-05-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

One person, one subject, one objective, one timeline yet Different Viewpoints. This is what one gets when one makes a comparison of the same story by two different newschannels.

Person : Rahul Gandhi
Subject : Amethi
Objective : To Prepare a Report Card
Timeline : Past one year

Story by NDTV
Rahul Gandhi had recently visited his constituency, Amethi to inaugurate new roads, when he announced the plan to set up an eye hospital. This comes at a time when the people of Amethi don't even have access to Basic Medical Healthcare. Patients complain of lack of hospital beds, Mosquitoes, walls blackened by the use of Candles and cobwebs in the corridor. Moreover, patients are required to purchase their own medicines from a chemist since none are provided in the hospital. There was a severe shortage of doctors, X-ray machines were useless and there was no water supply. Visiting the hospitals is a traumatic experience.

Story by Doordarshan
I, unfortunately, cannot recall the entire content of the short segment on Rahul's work. However, clear recollections primarily include the inauguration of the roads, resuming a number of projects that had come to a standstill since quite some time, lots of attention to developing the roads of his constituency. They mentioned a whopping amount that Rahul had brought with him especially for the purpose of building and improving roadways for the farmer's convenience. The last 2 minutes were exclusively devoted to how fond the residents of his constituency were of him, and the degree of affection that all had for him. A rather amusing part of the entire segment was that the women, especially the older ones who considered him as their son, were all worried about his marrige and were on the lookout of suitable women for him.
_________________________

I suppose I needn't highlight the point I'm trying to make here. The world is not as bad a place, as the people living in it, take it to be.

It's all about perception.

Run Wild!

2005-05-19T05:45:00.000-07:00

I noticed that it's been quite some time indeed, since I introduced you all to a new track, thus here it is.
The track is "Run Wild" by Monoband (aka Noel Hogan, Cranberries' Guitarrist) with vocals by Alexandra Hamnede.. And I look forward to your Feedback!

Unsung Heroes.

2005-05-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

__________

all the crowds are deaf and blind
when he emerges from behind.
second-handers make the news.
laurels go to those who use,
who don't create but abuse.
while this silent man who works
to make ends meet and to unite
the earth and sky and all in sight
is seldom noticed, never thanked.
He walks alone like leaders do,
with courage, wisdom found in few.

As he passes, there I stand.
He walks this way, I raise my hand
to salute this noble man.
and as I watch, he walks away.
he was never here to stay.
none has ever, to this day.
unsung heroes live this way.

________

Ditch-em-itis

2005-05-13T08:07:00.002-07:00

I have been lately overcome with a nasty case of Ditch-em-itis.. For those of you ignorant ones who are unaware of what unknown disease I am talking about, allow me an opportunity to discuss its symptoms and effects..

Symptom
Imagine yourself walking down a corridor with a friend by your side, talking about very vague matters. Then you turn around a corner and minutes later, you find yourself talking to someone else.. You seem to have missed out on what happened in the duration of these two minutes..

You were walking casually, talking to your friend, extremely distracted and then you turned around the corner. Approaching from the other side was a friend or a fellow student with whom you had to discuss an important matter. That is exactly what you do, and you remain engaged in that conversation for a good 5 minutes. After that (variable) time period has elapsed, you suddenly recall your friend who you were once upon a time, not so long ago, walking with, only to find that he/she is glaring at you with a venemous look.

Somewhat similar happened yesterday, and my dear dear friends, who I had apparently "ditched" (the explanation that I had gone off to do some work doesn't go down well on them) were rather infuriated with me, and decided to boycot me all day..
Naturally, it is very hard to be angry at me, for they were laughing at every joke and antic of mine and yet insisted that they were not talking to me..
Strange people, I must say. By the end of the day, they had ditched me, having walked off from where we were standing and yet accused me of ditching them because I did not follow them..
What Cheek!

I've recently come up with a very good imitation of a somewhat insane, almost perpetually drunk ice-cream vendor who sells ice-cream outside our school when it's over and tends to get annoyed with 20 children jumping on him at the same time, wanting their ice-cream. Forcefully taking the moral high-ground in this situatiuon, as if we were grateful to him for giving us ice-cream and as if he was doing us social service, he tends to behave rather violently, though not hitting anyone, but waves his hands in the air, making the most frightening sounds, which I pride myself in doing a very very good imitaion of.. It's a pity I can't share it with you some how. I did perform it in front of my annoyed friends, they laughed hysterically, and yet maintained that they weren't talking to me, exactly as they did when I interchanged their registers in their bags, which they found really funny but not funny enough to "forgive" me for "ditching" them..

How Rude!

The Students' Council Website....

2005-05-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

(or rather Blog) is up and running....
The Students' Council, DPS RK Puram

Comment Here, not There.

.

2005-05-11T02:21:00.000-07:00

A single bead of sweat
as it rolls down your wrinkled skin
boasts of utmost pride and grace
and speaks of selfless service rendered
while you yourself, forgotten, stand
in patience for a word of thanks
but it shall never come this way
however much you wait and wait,
oh, you'll depart and decay
yet it will never come this way
some praise, a nod, a word of thanks.

Random babbling..

2005-05-07T01:06:00.000-07:00

Howdy Ho!

I feel the urge to write something, despite lacking any inspiration to do so, and without having anything substantial (or at the most, substantially interesting or amusing) to talk about.
Screw it. I shall write anyways!

I figure I have stressed enough on just how terrible it is to belong to the twelfth standard, and therefore, allah be praised, that shall not be the subject of today's post.

Having assumed office in the Students' Council as one of its two secretaries, I find myself exploding with various ideas that I am craving to channel out. The Students' Council, as former dipsites would be aware, has remained quite quite obsolete in the past few years. I cannot imagine why. Maybe they haven't ventured onto avenues that are considered common, and only aspired to achieve that, which is downright ridiculous.
In simple, and sensible words, maybe they've had unrealistic goals. Well, we shall make every effort not to follow the same path, and leave a legacy for all to remember! There is no reason for a council as important as that of the students' to remain obsolete unto eternity.
The exact nature of what I have in store, I shall reserve till they are introduced in a committee meeting, and hopefully, approved.

Moving on, the week that is now over, was picnic week for the twefth standard, which indicates that we were allowed to select one day to have our picnic, and not that we were going places every single day. By pure compulsion, we were taken to Nehru Park yesterday and even though it wasn't as much fun as it could and should have been, it was quite enjoyable all the same. Romi ma'am was the dearest person on earth and made the experience quite quite enjoyable.
An exact description of how the entire day elapsed shall follow when I have some free time, which is likely to coincide with the day I bleach my hair a light shade of green.

A chap from my class took the opportunity to share a very very interesting student about a student who was feeling very ill in school one day. The moment he went to the teacher to inform her of the same, he happened to throw up, all over her lovely sari. Another person closeby who had observed the entire incident merely asked him why he used to eat raw tomatoes, which were prominently positioned on the teacher's , uh, drenched fabric.
I still fail to understand why he shared with us, this delightful account.

I've heard od such embarrassing moments before, such as that incident a few months ago, when I was climbing down the school stairs, looking in a totally different direction where a boy was on the receiving end of a scolding from a teacher (as if he could ever be in her shoes), and happened to bang into and stop on the foot of a teacher who was climbing the steps. Quite embarrassing, i must confess.
Another situation took place a couple of weeks ago, when I was walking with a friend, possibly towards the library, closely and unintentionally following another teacher. I was telling him about a particular teacher who hardly attends any classes and doesn't teach much. I assume I was speaking a little too loudly when I concluded my dialogue with "Ashish, you can't believe it but she's so bad.." I never got down to finishing that sentence since the our unwelcome listener turned around and started scolding me for disrespecting teachers.

At this point of time, I find myself exhausted of things to talk about (as I was in the duration of writing all that I have written) and shall thus conclude this entry right here.

Au revoir!

Nocturnal Poetry

2005-05-04T02:23:00.001-07:00

I found my maths register lying open beside me in the morning, and found a scribble, which I have identified as my own handwriting, on the last page..

_________________
A vicious circle,
save me lord
For all that is
is bitter gourd
Disappointment
Woe or Grief
sunken Spirit
failing heart
that beats a mournful,
humble drone
Hope? There is no
hope for hope
In it's place
It slaps my face
A shrug, A shove
A stone cold glare
is all they spare
Incessant Grief
I cannot bear..
_________________

The days drag on..

2005-05-03T02:05:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, this is just another drone describing the monotony of my life, as it is. Nothing exciting seems to be happening at all, which could be the basic cause of this boredom.

I finally buckled under pressure and surrendered to the demands of the society. Yes, I got myself some tutors. I must say that I do not regret it one bit. Maths is quite boring, as it was before I left dear old Mrs. Doraiswamy (henceforth referred to as Dora) in the beginning of last year, just about this time when you come to think of it. Nowadays too, that one hour involves nothing but sitting there in an uncomfortable chair, working away at not-so-difficult questions and finally at the end of one hour, pretending that I didn't get an answer so that she'd solve it for me, close my books and dismiss me with a "We'll continue in the next class." as she always did, does and will continue to do.

Physics on the other hand is quite quite amusing. This class requires actual teaching, thus I am compelled to listen. I don't mind at all since Ms. Saxena is adept in the field of sarcasm. Hence, for every comment I make, I receive a wiser one in return. She also somehow seems to know all the physics teachers of my school and it is quite fun to discuss them. As she would tell you, it isn't so much discussing them as it is my condemning their mere existence, which I insist, isn't true. It just happens that I'm incompatible with physics teachers in general, barring Archna ma'am.. Ah, she's a gem.

Moving away from studies and refraining from talking about dreams (though I had a horrible one last night, which had me highly annoyed in the morning) I feel obliged to talk about something else.

My sister, of whose existence I now inform you, lest I should have omitted it in the past, is going on a vacation to HongKong the day after along with her best friend. Her best-friend, who has already toured HongKong, seems to be making the trip only for the sake of spending some time with my sister, for she returns within 3 days of her departure from here. My sister, fortunately, will remain at least ten days. My folks, who had planned a very very short trip to Colombo (3 days to be precise, Friday to Sunday, the relevance of which lies in the fact that those are the only three days we are spared from the saas-bahu saagas and we get to see the face of our mother/wife/daughter-in-law) has been cancelled on the account that my grandfather and myself would be the only two people left alone at home, as being rather solitary people, would like in.. well, solitude => her very words.
Thus, my dream of having the entire house (well, at least the first floor) all to myself remains a distant one. I condemn this denial of peace and tranquillity to me, but lack the energy to fight for it. After all, it is still considered impolite by convention to attempt to force one’s parents out of their own house.

I feel my eyes drooping, even though it is just quarter to nine, and feel compelled to return to my chemistry practical work before I drop onto my bed, only to be awoken fro a short duration of 15 minutes, once dinner is on the table.

So long then!

Turtle scales new heights.

2005-04-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Had the strangest dream last night.
Saw a somewhat large turtle climbing onto an electric pole (a non-existant electric pole, mind) in my back lane..
Naturally, it got me quite excited, and I rushed to get my camera (which I surprisingly found, and now, cannot). It, however, saw the camera in my hand and with an annoyed expression on it's face (I swear I saw a frown), it turned around and began easing its way down from the pole.
I started taking some shots, but the battery was finished, thus I have none :( .

On a sidenote, the Japanese Prime Minister had come to our school the other day amidst exhorbant decorations and weeks of preperation. A very sweet chap I must say. Infact, when he was leaving, he actually stepped out of his car and walked down the driveway, waving and shaking hands with the children (some dressed in Japanese clothing, some in Indian).

Thanks to him, I had to tolerate one hour of physics.

Who says it is hard for the same person to lead seperate lives?

2005-04-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

How would it feel never to be able to sleep? I can tell for I have often experienced it. My dreams keep me awake. It does sound rather contradictory, doesn't it? But allow me to explain.
I just "woke up." The last thing I ought to remember before I wake up is falling asleep, isn't it? I ought to but I don't. My last memory is walking towards school after a long bumpy bus ride on an unknown street, sandwiched between people I've never met before. That in turn, had succeeded a chemistry class and a noisy airplane ride.

That is the atrocity of dreams. My father once told me that those people tend to dream often, who have much too much on their minds, those who are tensed. A recent test taken by me reveals that I suffer from all of those. Infact, some years ago I even used to talk in my sleep. The content of my dialogues is known to no one. But what I can say with full conviction is that I am truly fed up with these dreams, even if it empowers me to go back to 1918.

Imagine closing your eyes after a hectic day in hope of a few hours' rest and relaxation of the mind, body and soul. Though the body gets its due, the mind and soul are on the verge of going on a workers' strike. For indeed, how are they to blame if every night, they are transported to a different world and forced to live a different life till you open your eyes in time to begin another gruelling day. It isn't much different from being employed 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds daily.
But I am no Howard Roark. I need my sleep which cannot be done without.
yet, all I can do is be hopeful. Perhaps my luck will turn.

Afterall, tonight is another day, isn't it?

How to keep yourself busy when there are no tigers to be found..

2005-04-24T03:11:00.000-07:00

I'm suffering from Blogger's block these days, which means that I find little to write about. Times like these, one must turn to their fellow bloggers for ideas.
Incidentally, one such person, Zafar*, has just returned from Jim Corbett National Park and was talking about a failed quest for tigers. This reminded me of my visit to Jim Corbett last year in the summers with my unle, aunt and four cousins! Ah, memories!
For those of you who haven't had the chance to visit Jim Corbett (and haven't missed much, honestly speaking) I take the opportunity to tell you that the path on which the vehicle must travel is very very narrow, which is not unbelieveable since the wildlife there doesn't exactly want or desire express highways. For one, they don't earn much (which is not surprising either since few corporations take to the jungles of Corbett in order to recruit freshers, and those who do don't pay high starting salaries) and thus wouldn't be able to pay the toll tax. Secondly, animals are not issued drivers' licences by the government, nor can they afford to purchase vehicles due to the abovementioned reason.
The point is, the paths are very narrow. And they allow only one vehicle to travel on it (yes, not even two lanes) at a time. Hence, when two vehicles are face to face, both must slow down and one must allow the other some space to pass. This lapse allows some degree of conversation between the occupants of the two vehicles, provided the occupants desire it, and only if the glasses are down (or else, one would have to scream at the top of one's lungs, which is not advisable in a wildlife sanctury).
Such an opportunity should be promptly utilized to have some fun (the kind of fun the absence of tigers and substantial wildlife does not provide for) and for doing michief. These words come from the mouth of someone who is experienced.
Before I go on, I must share with my readers, the code of conduct one must adopt when wildlife lurks around the corner.
1) If one spots an animal, it is only polite to (silently) inform fellow tourists about their presence (which happens once the observer is tired of it and has moved on which happens quite often keeping in mind that wild animals don't do much really, other than sitting around or snoring or munching leaves or running away from you, or sitting over there and looking bored, which inturn happens since we don't do much either (to keep them entertained, ofcourse.))
2) If one is informed about the presence of an animal around the bend, it is appropriate to slow down, almost crawl the rest of the way, lest the roaring sound of the engine should scare them away.

Now it so happened that we found not a single tiger (surprise surprise) in our entire safari, nor a leopard (nor a yak though we weren't expecting one anyways). Thus, as we were nearing the end of our Safari, we thought we'd create some excitement for ourselves. Thus, whenever we found ourselves fact to face (or should I say bonnet to bonnet) with another vehicle, we'd slow down, roll down our window, gesture to them to do the same and whisper "Tiger! Tiger!" pointing backwards. The same was repeated for a non-existant leopard. And, lord, I must say that it was quite quite funny to see them slow down to much less than a crawl. The memory still makes me laugh.

Unfortunately, the story ends here, and it seems quite pointless to write so much for a 3 sentence climax. But that's how it is, Sorry! Anyhow, it gives you ideas for your next visit to Jim Corbett. Warning : There are still no tigers.

*My apologies to Smita for denying her the opportunity to use her not-so-invisible brains and guess where exactly I got the idea for this entry.

Lunch with friends At Pizza Hut....

2005-04-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

never sinks down well.... with the staff..

For one, my gang is one noisy lot.. Infact, once I was travelling in an auto with two of 'em and the auto-rickshaw driver got so exasperated with the chatter that he turned around repeatedly, complaining that they were talking too much and much too loud. What confound cheek!

Anyways, I'm rather curious as to why our lot must attract everybody's attention. It sure isn't a warm feeling to have nine pairs of eyes looking at you while you're gobbling your umpteenth slice of Pizza.. Also, they have an unusually strong tendency to shriek at a very very wrong moment..

Why oh why must we always order more than we can eat? Leaving food on our plates isn't the bad part, honest.... but when one insists on pushing it to the very bottom of the (transparent, may I add) coke pitcher, it really is rather disgusting.. And since no body can have Pizza without ketchup (which isn't really true because I can and do), it must follow.. and mustard as well, just in case the pitcher might fancy it..

My heartfelt sympathies to those who occupy our table after we have left (much after we have left, since the waiters probably need some extra time to clean up the mustard-ketchup-seasoning-sauces paste that is normally left behind by us) and god save them if they have a habit of using either the vinegar or the soya sauce in the food.. because either way, they'd end up using the other as well.. this is probably the only kind of vandalism of social norms that could possibly go unnoticed during our visits..

Last time, I recall leaving on the table a glass half full of pepsi, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, oregano and/or chilly flakes (it becomes hard to tell), a tissue paper (which is funny because I was begging for one just a while ago and got none..) and the crowning touch.... the serving spoon.. Thank heavens they don't serve whipped cream with anything (or atleast thank heavens we didn't order it!)..

As you can imagine, it isn't a very pretty picture!

Pasta anyone?

Many Congratulations....

2005-04-15T02:40:00.000-07:00

to our brand new school appointments....

May you keep the flag flying high!

And it all boils down to this....

2005-04-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith.

It's all right letting yourself go as long as you can let yourself back.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty...This is my highest and best use as a human.

Bonsoir mes amies!!

2005-04-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I've written about myself so I shall take the pleasure of doing so today!

The 12th began some weeks ago and it is completely hectic. Science is absolute torture..

Well, actually Chemistry and Maths are not so bad.. Computers and English I find more enjoyable than free-periods.. But Physics is quite a drag (with the exception of Physics Lab, which is fun once one has got their observation notebook verified by Mr. Hussain, had all his/her mistakes pointed out and been screamed at for making those mistakes (and an occasional ear-pulling).. I on the other hand have never been on a receiving end of a slap (or an ear-pulling or anything of that sort) despite having offered my cheek to him on a number of occasions.. I find it hard to believe that he could actually find me a good student, knowing how bad I am at physics..

Enough about me and physics....

Hmm.... wandered off a little and forgot what I was posting about....
Dear Dear! I'm a boring person....

I finally managed to secure a copy of "Fountainhead" from my library today! It sure seems to be a rather interesting read.. Though I've only read ten off pages of it, I am struck with awe at the indifferent attitude of the protagonist.. It seems rather unrealistic that a person in the early 20th century would be as calm and composed about being expelled from college in his last year, due to his sheer audacity.. It's funny that I had to look behind all the books to find this title.. That is, afterall, where all bestsellers are found. Pity the fool who thought he could find the book he hid at the back of the shelf a week ago.

Since I seem not to remember what I was planning to write, I shall return to my book and return at a later time.. Or maybe I should practice some chemistry numericals..
Sayonara!

PetaTv

2005-04-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING!

This video really disturbed me.. I found it on Shrenik's mainpage..
thanks for bringing it to my notice Shrenik..

I think everyone should have a look at this video....
Very Very disgraceful indeed, how rutheless mankind can be!

Click Here

a journey through time....

2005-04-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

For centuries, mankind has been intrigued by the concept of time travel. Writers of all periods have written in long and short about time machines and other devices that may allow us to conquer the single dimension that continues to elude scientists from every stratum.

Little do they know that the power to go back in time is a power vested in the ordinary. Anyone can time travel, even you and me. Everyone has time traveled at some point in his or her lives, some more often that others.

The key to conquer time lies in dreams. Yes, for it is our dreams, our higher conscience, that empowers us to journey through the past and foresee the future. In fact, our voyages through time are not restricted to our past or our future. I shall now share with you one such journey that I made, years ago into the distant past. I take you back to July 17^th 1918, to an (then) unknown location in Russia....

_______________________________________

I am standing in a large room, unfurnished save for a few beds. It is nighttime and the beds are occupied.

A door opens and 3 men, armed with rifles march in. The inhabitants of the room, comprising a man, five women and a teenaged boy, are awakened and instructed to follow them out. Clearly, the entire lot is being held captive. Their elegant clothing, though soiled, hints that they have seen better days.

I do not follow them but find myself in what seems to be an underground cellar, for there are no windows. The prisoners are seated on chairs in the center of the room, baffled and unaware of what awaits them.

A door opens and four armed men walk in. After exchanging a few words between themselves in a language foreign to my ears, they open fire, without any warning. Amidst cries of horror, the feeble victims drop dead on the ground.

The onslaught ceases and the assailants drench the corpses in a charring liquid. The remaining carcasses are buried in the adjoining forest. The carnage finally comes to an end. An eerie silence follows.
_______________________________________

It is said that if you wish to dream about something in particular, may it be a person, place or incident, all that is required is for you to chew on the desired subject of your dream while lying in bed, just before you nod off. I speak with experience when I say that this exercise is successful.

Plan Tropica.

2005-04-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

At times, I tend to get superstitious.... I'm feeling so right now, for that matter!
Such that I wish to make a resolution this very moment, and I do it publicly..

______________

I,
In view of my recent failure to perform well in my Annual Examinations (Grade 11),
Taking note that this failure took place in the exact year that I surrendered all hopes of continuing the maintainence of, and hereby abandoned, my aquarium,
Also reaffirming the fact that my sister is a truly bothersome and disdainful creature, however irrelevant it may be to this resolution,

1. Urge the restoration of the miniature habitat;
2. Pledge to purchase one of the three combinations :
a) A large shoal of tropical fish, easy to maintain and sympathetic to a limited
budget,
b) A few gold fish, easier to maintain and less likely to shed their cloggs and die
within two days of their transfer to a better home than the predecessor,
c) A pair of turtles, though banned by law, available in the black market, this being
the least likely of the three options before me;
3. Solemnly swear to try and clean my aquarium atleast once a month;
4. Shall endeavour to resume cursing the loathsome algae that gives rise to a potpourri of revolting odours.

______________
This resolution is unanimously passed.

currently playing.... Caribbean Blue

2005-04-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

Caribbean Blue. The voice is as far away and beautiful as from the heaven. In the MTV version some children are turning pages of a baroque-like book. The background is soft blue, sea, and Enya. You've got to listen to this song before you could image what's heaven as close as possible.
- Xiang Li

Life is good again....

2005-04-01T00:56:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I'm feeling quite optimistic today! Can't figure out why, but it feels good to feel good! Hope it lasts!

Maybe the world isn't as black and white as I imagined..

harry potter is a half stud prince.....

2005-03-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

months before its release, "Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince" is creating unrealistic excitement which is totally uncalled for....

unsurprisingly, all prominent bookstores are taking pre-orders for it (much too much in advance, if you ask me) but what caught my attention was its exhorborant list price.... Rs. 995 (or should I say a grand for a grand book)..
Might I point out that the price, though, has increased by 25%, the content has decreased by 29%.... this can only imply that Madam J.K. Rowling's worth has only increased yet again, and times like these, I wish I really were related to her..

Thought I'd mention..
A search for "Harry Potter" on google returns more results that a search for "burger" and almost as many as for "pizza"....
god save the world from the clutches of He-who-everyone-names.... all the time!

my very first!

2005-03-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

This incident took place about 2 years ago, and on many an occasion I had intended to relate the incident to my friends, but never got down to doing it..
and before I forget all about it for another two years (or longer...... or shorter, whatever) I might as well publish it, lest I forget the few details that are still fresh in my mind!

As I was saying, 2 years ago.. it was just another ordinary evening.. I was sitting in my folks' room with my father, watching television as always, when the phone rang.... (thankfully) the phone was right next to dad and he answered it..

I really didn't care much what he was talking about or whom he was talking to, till I heard a mention of my name.... and my father saying that I was not at home..
now that really puzzled me, for whyever would he say that? (I was probably expecting some important phone call around then, thus all of this was very annoying to me)

the conversation was purely in english, which was not surprising when I heard my father say "No, I don't speak telugu.."
but the finishing touch to the rather strange incident came when I heard my father say "yes, telugumatrimony.com.. okay.."
all of this brought back memories of those annoying emails I had been receiving from telugumatrimony.com, asking me to activate an account which I didn't open, and definitely didn't want to activate either! I had deleted all those messages as spam (and boy do I get a lot of that in hotmail.com)
for all those of you who're quite quite dense, I was in the process of receiving my very first marrige proposal! and it was not pretty!

anyways, finally my father asked me to note down a strange number (which I realised later to be the telugumatrimony ID of the person who was contacting me, and mind, I did NOT visit it) and laughing, he hung up the phone, while I blushed a deep crimson red, hoping that this was my last marrige proposal for atleast the next 10 years, especially one from telugu matrimony.com....

2005-03-27T03:20:00.000-08:00

Wrote this in the car on the way home last night, at about 11:30..
somehow, it is so much easier to write when you're in a semi-conscious state.. I guess one is thinking much less, and the thoughts just flow..
as is obvious, I didn't exactly have any paper on me in the car, so I just punched it into my mobile.. technology sure makes things hell easier!

these days'll never come back again
those memories lost, and lost old friends
on my knees i'll find myself
gathering pieces of a broken past
fragmented chronicles of merrier times
in the darkness as i reach
in hope of a comforting touch
but finding none, but myself
stranded in the cold of gloom

take me away to a happier land
where time stands still
where memories are but milk and honey
the land of no despair nor regrets
tarry not,
carry me away
to the land where time stands still

Woe is me....

2005-03-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

Class XIth result is out and, my my, is mine absolutely horrendous....

I am now on the verge of a very long depression.. god save me!

PS - posting some very nice pictures I took with mom's Digicam on my photolog.. do check 'em out if you have time.

Sola!

2005-03-20T00:44:00.000-08:00

Interviews for the school-appointment posts are underway and I'm crossing all my fingers, hoping that I'll grab something worthwhile!
However, the post that I'm eyeing (Student's Council) has 112 applicants, so as they say.... "Fat Chance!"
Somehow, applicants are really few for the Headboy and Headgirl posts.. Turns out, the ones with the best shot at it haven't applied after all.. I myself screamed at some of them for being utterly ridiculous.

In other news, I'm not really liking 12th as much as I was anticipating.. wait a minuite, I wasn't anticipating it to be good, now was I!
But the bottomline is.... life is very very dull and it is made only more obvious by my dull and monotonous tone.

Ah heck! I'll post again later, hopefully when I'm feeling a little more cheerful..

2005-03-16T04:08:00.000-08:00

joyeux anniversaire à moi
joyeux anniversaire à moi
joyeux anniversaire à cher je
joyeux anniversaire à moi

My very last first day....

2005-03-15T01:01:00.000-08:00

And thus begins a fresh journey.... a crucial year, as many have bothered to point out.

The only respite from the endless lectures were the kind words of Mr. Mukesh (who, indeed, is my computer teacher!) which are music to my ears, and I quote.. "If you can regularly attend each and every class of computers, I guarantee you that you will not have to study a word of it at home."
Though it is somewhat of a pity that the same could not be said by my Physics or Chemistry (Mr. P. Sharma.. still can't pronounce his first name) teacher, for that would have indeed been more divine than icing on a cake.... or pineapple souffle.

My class teacher is the most jovial person I've ever seen. He goes by the name Jagjit Singh, which in indeed rather amusing, but I doubt he fits the description of an amusing person. Besides, he seems to be rather good with his subject..
It's a pity I never got to study in Rambo's class, though!

Which leaves my english teacher..I was definitely getting my expectations up too high.. As is defined by convention, 11th grade english teachers are continued to the 12th.. which means another year of UG!! *sob*
But today, she actually attended her class which is quite an achievement, today being the first day. Also, our classroom is not next to her office anymore, so it won't be as funny as it normally is, if she doesn't turn up for her class and continues sitting absent-mindedly in her chair or on her computer..

That pretty much wraps it! Must go and speak to my former tuitor to fix up classes..

Ciao mes amigos!

School Starts tomorrow....

2005-03-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

and I must admit that I'm a wee bit excited, but absolutely frightened.... I can't WAIT to find out which teachers I've got for my F.I.N.A.L year in school
I know I know! I'm a total nerd.... but it really thrills me to have a new set of teachers and getting the same old ones really annoy me, unless they're really good....

Here's my wishlist :
English : Mrs. Deepa Raghvan or Mrs. Prema Pandey
Physics : I know that Mr. Hussain is teacheing me, so no guesses reqd. there... But he's supposed to be the best, so who's complaining.... Other than him, the only other person I'd want is Mrs. Archana Deepak, my current physics-cum-class teacher..
Chemistry : Sorry, nobody qualifies. Even a state-of-the-art chemistry teacher can't get the subject into our heads..
Computers : Either Mr. HOD sir (Mr Mukesh) or Mrs. Romi Sharma.. I wouldn't mind our current teacher, but I doubt she'd be taking 12th standard....

Talking to someone on MSN so I'll catch you guy(s) later..

byer!!

currently playing.... + Photoalbum

2005-03-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

"Given To Me" by newcomer Dusty Hughes takes the spot this week....

Some great tunes by Dusty.... I keep telling him how much he sounds like Neil Diamond (Yes, I know him *yay*)

You must check out his website http://www.dustyhughes.com/ .... There are clips available from his New Album "Breaking Down" which is unfortunately, only available in Europe....
I must be the only Indian to have heard the complete album

I've also decided to start a small Photolog-of-sorts ....
I say "of-sorts" because I'm not using any of the Photolog services but blogger.com instead..
I hope you guys like it.. A link will appear somewhere here once it's up..

Dreadful Dreams....

2005-03-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

*Shudder*
One of the two things I was looking forward to after my exams were over was to lie in bed for endless hours.... To have long and comfortable, tension-free and hopefully dreamless sleeps....
I have been deprived them.
(The other thing I was looking forward to was purchasing my class XIIth textbooks, buth NCERT and Pradeeps, and then cutting up my pradeeps into various volumes so that the sight of them wouldn't be as overwhelming as it is when the entire volume is in one piece.... I know..... I'm sad.... This, too, I was deprived of since Mom had to make a quick trip to Kochi for work....)

Last night, I had this horrible dream! From what I recall, I had almost finished my chemistry exam, with just a couple of 5 markers left when for no sane reason, I chose to take a stroll around the school with a couple of friends.... (in an actual exam, we were watched like convicts during our trips to the rest-rooms, but strange, unexplainable things happen in dreams).....
By the time realisation struck me that I should be returning to my chair and completing my paper, (as I made my way towards the exam room) I was met by throngs of people leaving for home, indicating that the exam was over.... It wouldn't have been so bad
A) had it not been my chemistry exam and
B) had I not known the answers to those questions that I had left (which I didn't actually but anything can be true is nightmares.... Hell, I remember one in which my aquarium had burst and my entire bed-room was flooded and my fish were swimming around in it.... I was being assissted by some very unexpected people in cleaning up the mess, people whose names I rather not mention!)

Gotta cut it short! A friend is coming over....

To sum up, I woke up, sighed with relief and it was all over..

Bye!

wail

2005-03-10T05:18:00.000-08:00

What I feared, I can now say for sure, is true. Blogging was this infatuation which I am now past. Therefore, I shudder at the thought of it's future..

Oh well, as long as I'm writing, might as well make hay and hope that the sun will continue to shine.. I don't mean that literally though.. Summers are on their way here (almost arrived) and I'm hating every passing second..
Fortunately, there was some respite last night when some hefty clouds happened to stray towards our home, bringing with them rain and (*surprise surprise*) hail!! Wasn't that just fabulous! We were all headed towards Saket from DLF (8 of us in a single car) when the heavens came crashing down..
Oh, did I forget to mention??
EXAMS OVER!!
And what better way to celebrate such a joyous occasion than with a movie as jolly as B.L.A.C.K.. But I really oughtn't be complaining! It was honestly worth it! And I enjoyed every moment!

Hmm.. now what was I about to say? Oh yes, school starts on Tuesday, 4 days away.. incidentally, a day before my birthday!! I'll be 17 years old! I've lamented about that before, haven't I? My last year in school.. *sob* I probably wouldn't be so depressed if I knew for sure that I'm sure to get into a decent college.. Rani Mukherjee managed it in Black.... Kareena Kapur managed it in REAL LIFE (*SHOCKING*).. Then why can't I??
But the most I'll miss about leaving school is leaving mes amies(my friends).. I'll miss all those moments when, 8 of us stuffed in a car, we travelled all over town, crushing each others' limbs (and sensitive parts).. I'll miss being (politely) asked by the waiters at Cafe Coffee Day to leave, if we really must climb onto the sofas.. I'll miss Prerna telling them off for treating their "customers" in such a manner.... I'll miss all of us crouching around one tiny table in Barista, rather than taking two [tables].... I'll miss Anjori's hysterical laughs and Chinti's sober tone.... I'll miss freaking out at Webworld with Chopra, Divyaksh, Supro, Sumit and a couple of others who I really don't know....
Bah! Enough of this stupid mourning.. I've still got a whole year ahead of me.. But honestly, it's hard to believe that it's all over!! Seems like just day before yesterday that I stepped into DPS RKP for the very first time.... and now it's time to do so for the very last.... *sob*
How time flies by....

On a slightly happier note....................................... actually, there is no happier note today....
Hmm.. maybe I'll give this page a makeover.... That'll be nice.. * Makeover underway *

Okay! See ya then..

And best of luck to Smita and Gudi for the rest of their exams....

Chemistry.... tho hai ek mystery....

2005-03-02T00:36:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling quite quite lazy today(and with as much sleep as I got last night.. 4 whole hours.. I wouldn't hold it against myself) so that might reflect in today's entry....

Now I'm normally not crazy about studying (as was made obvious by my going off to sleep at the wee hour of 10:30 in the evening, monday night, thereby leaving quite a significant portion of my chemistry syllabus incomplete..
That significant portion included Organic And Inorganic chemistry.. One really ought to think what topics that doesn't cover.. Honestly speaking, none. Thus, I was faced with a challenge of completing 6 months worth chemistry syllabus in 1 day..

To cut a long story short, I pretty much left Inorganic untouched, glanced through organic, watched a lot of television and *finally* got over with my chemistry exam..
Well, frankly speaking, it went off pretty well. That was least expected for 2 reasons -
1) The Subject at hand was chemistry.
2) I was appearing for a chemistry exam, prepared by the chemistry department based on various topics and concepts studied under chemistry.

To make more sense out of that, it was quite easy as per the standards of a chemistry paper..

Well, enough about Chemistry! Should we talk about maths now? Ofcourse not! But in passing, maths was on monday and went off quite okay (not too good, not to bad) but I believe I've written about that.

My 17th budday is creeping closer(though I shan't disclose the date for the fear of not being wished by a single person here, despite doing so) as I really can't think of how to celebrate..
Wait a minuite.. did I say 17? J'ai duix-sept ans? ME SEVENTEEN?? Creeps! That just leaves me with 3 more years of being a teenager! Then I'll be ...... No Way! An ADULT?? SHOCKING!

But that's 3 whole years away.. To think that I'll be driving..
Ah! Driving! Which reminds me that I will be tortured by my mother on the day of my birthday about turning 12 and not being able to drive a car inspite of the fact that "your father could drive when he was 12".... Times are changing, mommy! Not so easy to sneak a car out anymore now, is it..

Hmm! What else?
The class 10th and 12th board exams are underway so best of luck again, 10thies and 12thies visiting my poor ol' blog. I can't imagine which is worse. 10th? or 11th? I should go with the latter. I was, afterall, very prepared for my 10th boards. They were fun, for that matter.

I was thinking which of the two.... physics or chemistry.... is the better of the 2 evils.. another post about that someday.. Possibly after physics, scheduled for monday, after which I'd have a good idea of what was more torturous to study.
Somehoe I hate studying on sundays. Sunday is family day. It shouldn't be wasted in books.
Sunday also happens to be the day they show Friends and Will'n'Grace back to back episodes.... And hidden Hills and what not really.. Why does EVERYTHING happen on Sundays??

Well, I should go and give my eyes some rest now, for they are truly truly bothering me..
Just last night they were searing with pain, and I was struggling to keep them open, rminding myself that organic chemistry cannot be completed within 10 minuites in the morning..
I believe there was this moment when I went off to sleep standing..

Many thanks....

2005-02-28T05:33:00.000-08:00

I was overwhelmed by the response to my last post declaring that my exams were officially close....
and I was absolutely knocked off my feet to see how people came forward to wish me luck..... So I thought that I should personally thank all those who did....

Thus, many thanks to nobody... and to no one, not to forget nonbeing, nonentity and nonexistence....
I really appreciate your well wishes....

And for all those who care, I had my maths exam today and it was not too bad but no where near fantastic either.. however, others are complaining that theirs' was horrible and that they're failing, so I doubt that I have a right to complain..

Chemistry is next and also happens to be a very good reason for me not to be on the internet right now..
another good reason not to be on the internet right now is that Friends is on TV, so I'll catch ya'll later..

cheerio!

Exam Time People....

2005-02-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

To quite Gudi (who quited someone else), Im on "pay puh" mode....

So see y'all in 3 weeks!

Au Revoir!

mother and daughter....

2005-02-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Increase your hotmail inbox size to 250 MB....

2005-02-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Shrenik has posted instructions to update Hotmail accounts to 250 MB of space, if they already aren't that big....
His blog address is on my sidebar..

Check it out..

You can take the easier way out and ask me for a Gmail invite..
I have 100 waiting to be sent out! PLEASE ASK!!

Benfits of Gmail over hotmail
Gmail gives you 1 GB of space
It is much faster
It has a better interface
It makes things very organised

Computers (practical) is over too....

2005-02-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

I was quite disgusted.. The program I was given took 5 minuites to make....

HELLO?? a 2 and a HALF HOUR PRACTIAL EXAM FOR A 5 MINUITE PROGRAM??

Talk about annoying!

I don't know whether to appreciate the teacher I got for my viva, or detest her....

Though she cut a mark, she restricted it to a single mark only, for she could have cut much more.... I knew very little, as I didn't study a single word! I guess she got the message that I wasnt exactly a duffer but just unprepared so she was awfully nice..

I however, left fuming, much to the surprise of Mrs, manohar (former chem+class teacher) who laughed at the fact that I was expecting to receive full marks in an 11th practical....

Anyways, after a bit of loitering around, I found m neighbour and together we sneaked out of school from the back gate(carrying a permission note allowing us to leave) and reached home at 11... just about the time my remaining classmates would be finishing their programs....

I'm so glad I opted for computers!!

My Physics Practical exam....

2005-02-18T00:35:00.000-08:00

went quite well....

I got the worst possible experiment.. the Sonometer, which co-incidentially happens to be the only experiment out of the total figure of 10 which I haven't successfully done previously....
Vernier Calliper was rather easy, except for the fact that I forgot how to read Vernier divisions (and I believe I read them wrong, but that doesn't really matter)..

I had the privelege of having 4 people to watch over our lot like hawks, them being Mr. Hussain, Mr. SC Jha, Mrs. Kanchan Malhotra and the lovely Mrs. Archana Deepak..

The first of the lot only stayed long enough to tell off a person for not standing while his Viva was being taken. Mr. Jha was pretty much silent except for the Viva, Mrs. Malhotra was very and I mean very helpful indeed while Mrs. Deepak too stayed shortly to help out a teeny weeny bit..

The viva was, as always, horrible with Mr Jha, the most expressionless teacher in our school, smiling away to glory and wanting to burst with laughter while I made hopeless attempts to answer his quesitons..

Piece of Advice
When the most expressionless teacher of your school is laughing while you are making hopeless attempts to answer your viva questions, it would be safe to assume that the abovementioned is not a good sign and that your answers and not exactly what they are looking for..

M had made nice and short notes with readings for all experiments just in case he couldn't "get the correct measurments".. needless to say, he didn't bother even trying to.. He is the first person I know who has managed to successfully complete the Sonometer experiment without laying hands on the sonometer (howevermuch he may claim that he did touch the sonometer once.. as a formality)..
A found a slightly more convenient way of copying my readings taken with the Calliper.. His second experiment was to determine 'g' using a pendulum, which too, he managed to complete without actually using, in any way, a Pendulum....
Both M and A copied the entire theory, everything from Aim to Apparatus to Theory to Observations to Sources of Errors and ofcourse, the diagram.. because, as is obvious, it is indeed very very difficult to make the diagram of an instrument which is before your very eyes..
Infact, one person was complaining that he couldn't draw the diagram, howevermuch it was physically present before the buttons perched in his eyeball sockets..

After a lenghthy 2 and a half hours, we departed from the laboratory, and I spent the remaining day talking to Aditi Misra (the most deserving candidate for the HeadGirl's post next year, irrespective of the fact that she isn't applying for it) while we bitched about M (not my friend M, who copied my diagram but a different M) and lots of other bizzare things..

Quite a dull day to be honest, but atleast the practical (minus the Viva) went off well!

All Good Things Must Come to An End....

2005-02-17T07:15:00.000-08:00

Often I have hoped that some things would just never end.... even long after they have ended..

It is often associated with the littlest of things.... Neighbours who are moving away.... an old shop that is being torn down.. A friend who is going away.... growing older....
I clearly remember this emotion that I felt when I finished the very last page of what I believed to be the ultimate Enid Blyton title that I hadn't read.. The moment I finished the last page, and closed the book. I took a moment to realise what had just happened. I had matured.. And that too in an instant. I felt as if my life had changed so much over that one tiny moment.. I was a different person all together.. I was mature..
That was just one of the times that I realised how fast I was growing.. such realisations don't come very often, and since I don't keep touch with time as it elapses, I often tend to be victim to such shocks.... And I can't say they're pleasent in the least..

My resistance to change is highly common when it comes to my favourite Television Programs. It happened with Friends when I saw the very last episode on my computer. How horrid it felt to know that i'd never watch a new episode of Friends again.. And though I'm glad that they left behind 10 whole seasons for us to reminisce in later years, the excitement would eventually be lost.. Programs in the past have included The Nanny, Bewitched, Heartbreak High, Silver Spoons, Different Strokes.. Ah! So many!

Lately, I seem to be addicted to "Hogan Family".. "Hogan Family" seemed to be a fairly old program, thus I was very interested in finding out what the characters were up to now, what paths they had ventured onto, how much they had grown.. and the results lead to some shocking revelations..
My 2nd favourite character of the lot, Mark Hogan, I had predicted to have worked successfully in quite a few movies... On the contrary, Jeremy Licht was never approached by a TV producer with a role, once Hogan family came to an end.. This was quite a shock to him as well, and I must say that I'm not surprised it was.. He is now a financial advisor with his own company JL Capital Management

David Hogan, the bossy elder brother and by no means my favourite character has continued on his path and though somewhat older, looks quite the same.. I believe he's had some recent releases as well and I'm quite sure I saw him on a Buffy or Angel Trailer..

Sandy hasn't aged much and is still acting..

Josh Taylor (Michael) seems to have restricted himself to Guest Appearences..

Patty Pool, my favourite character from the series is thankfully still active! She's still busy with projects and is looking as young as ever..

But the most shocking of all.... Willie Hogan played by Danny Ponce is unrecognizable.. He is most obviously not acting any more.. and thank god for that!
After much hunting, i was able to find 1 single picture of his.. and I wasn't impressed..

EDIT : According to TV Tome, Danny joined Navy camp where he had a hard time, and thus went home on leave, but was never seen again.. Somehow, I really pity him now.. if anyone knows anything else about him (that can't be found easily on Google), please do tell me.. I'm rather curious to be honest!
EDIT No. 2 : Researched a little bit more and turns out that he's a client of some Acting-agency, and has not gone into hiding afterall! God knows why TvTome wrote such things! Jeremy Licht is still in contact with him, though!
Jeremy was married and seperated, and has no children....

I really wish I could hold on to Hogan Family forever, no matter how boring it becomes.. I know that a couple of weeks later, it'll eventually be replaced with a different show, quite like "Home Improvement" has been on StarWorld and though I'll get past my misery, there'll probably be another serial to look forward to..

2005-02-15T02:14:00.000-08:00

Another picture of Tulsi

Currently Playing....

2005-02-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you people are taking advantage of my hunting songs from all over the internet and posting their links for you to download and listen....

These are some very good track, so you must check them out....

I have previously put "2 Different Directions", "If I ever Lose my faith in you" and a couple of Cranberries tracks....

The Current track is "Calypso" by John Denver and is an excellent track so DO LISTEN TO IT....

And feedback wouldn't exactly annoy me, so do feel free to give me some....

What a terrible day....

2005-02-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

1) That beast who lives across the street threw stones at Tulsi again.... Sometimes I wish I could throw stones at him.... What I really want to do is get the opportunity to summon Tulsi to myself with him watching, and feed her before his very eyes....
Tulsi has vanished after the incident and hasn't showed up since.... May go looking for her later in case she doesn't return....

For those of you who're wondering who Tulsi is, check out the post below this one for a picture and a short poem I wrote on her....

2) It was cloudy pretty much throughout the day and since my classroom is perched on the second floor, it was quite windy all afternoon....
However, the clouds seem to have vanished over a period of 15 minuites which is quite annoying.... might be sunny again, tomorrow.... I hate living in Delhi....

Update (9:13 PM) - The Clouds have returned.... The moon is but a faint glow behind a grey mist.... The world is a romantic place again....

Tulsi..

2005-02-14T05:27:00.000-08:00

Born into a cruel world
she doesn't complain.
Her mother cares for her not
forsaken by her father
much before birth.

She has no home, no friend
or brother or sister to share
her sorrows and her agony
and yet, she does not complain

She embraces the life that she has
of living on the street
and devouring the occasional meal
that she gets of dry bread or milk
that her mother can no longer provide
she does not complain

She sleeps on the verandah
of an old deserted house
atop dry leaves and broken branches
except for the occasional rainy day
when, forced to leave her wet bed
she goes in search for a better place
to spend the cold and gloomy night
for no one is willing to take her in
but she does not complain

Maybe some day she'll abandon
her homeless home to seek
a better place, or different in the least
far far away, but will be missed
by none. For no one cares and no one will
And though in her life she hasn't erred
but lived an honest life instead
Yet, she does not complain.

....

2005-02-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

Edited :
It is very annoying when Anjori (who is not the 6-year old friendship that I have broken this year, as she thought when she miraculously read my blog) harrasses you with constant pleas of desperation on MSN, asking you to do her work, which she are just too lazy to do herself....

Also, Anjori is my best friend and is not 'ppl', which I sincerely apologize for writing earlier, as she sharply and rudely pointed out...

A grandeur exit....

2005-02-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the Indian Idol Results (finally) decalred Prajakta Shurle out of the competition.... And honestly speaking, I wasn't too surprised keeping in mind her 1st perofrmance the previous night, the 2nd being much better.....

Strangely, Prajakta was not shocked in the least that she was the outgoing contestant.... I guess it was expected considering the no. of weeks she had spent in the bottom three/two....

However, her very last performance on the Indian Idol stage after her fate was declared truly convinced me that she was tcomplete Indian Idol material.... her last performance was much better than the performaces by all contestants the previous night.... Had she performed like that the previous night, she'd have projected herself as the obvious winner of the competition....

From the very beginning, I was truly impressed by her simplicity irrespective of her beauty.... Her singing didn't impress me that much save for the performance last night and her renedition of "Ai Mere vataan ke logo".... I could understand her relief at being declared safe from the bottom three in the preceeding weeks, and yet somehow understood why she was so understanding last night.....

With a pleasant smile and a gripping performance, Prajakta Shukre made a truly graceful exit from Indian Idol....